Kuala Lumpur, Dec 03: Cracking down on bribery and money laundering in the Asia-Pacific region headed the agenda for government and business officials from more than 35 countries, including India, who opened a conference today in Malaysia. Conference delegates were checking progress on the "Anti-corruption Action Plan" launched in 2001 by 21 countries including India, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Pakistan.
The three-day forum in Kuala Lumpur was organised by the Asian Development Bank and the organisation for economic cooperation and development.
The action plan was drawn up after the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s "demonstrated that corruption has devastating effects on both political stability and economic prosperity and growth," the Asian Development Bank and the OECD said about the plan.
Officials will examine countries' problems in implementing the plan and seek solutions, the organisers said.
The conference will hear from heads of national anti-corruption agencies in the region, and from the organising agencies. Bureau Report