Fraud in Asia: U.S.-Based Companies Challenged in Fighting Corruption

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A stolen CD at airport customs years ago hardly indicts an entire region, but ingrained habits die hard. At least four senior judges in Shenzhen, China, are currently under investigation for alleged corruption including taking bribes in exchange for handing down verdicts favorable to their benefactors. "Judicial corruption has become a rampant problem on the mainland [China]," according to the South China Morning Post.² 

In another ongoing high-profile case, the top political official in Shanghai was removed from office following an investigation of his involvement in a scheme that diverted $500 million of pension funds to a real estate deal arranged by his cronies. The investigation exposed one of the largest corruption scandals to hit China in a decade. It began in Shanghai and has expanded throughout the country, implicating another high-level official who is now under investigation for yet unspecified acts of corruption.

So it would seem that there's basis to the popular notion that corruption is still widespread in Asia.

TRACKING CORRUPT COUNTRIES