France has drawn up a blacklist of 17 countries including Trinidad and Tobago and Dominica for not investigating foreign aid fraud, banning the use of their banks in the distribution of development funds.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) yesterday reported that in addition to the Caribbean countries, Switzerland, Lebanon, Panama, Costa Rica, the United Arab Emirates, Liberia and Vanuatu have been added to the list. AFP said that aides to development minister Pascal Canfin were unable to say how much French foreign aid currently transits via banks in the countries on the new blacklist.
The blacklist expands a register of eight “non-cooperative states and territories” that includes Botswana, Brunei, Nauru, Guatemala and the Philippines. French officials justified the move by saying there was a lack of transparency in the nations on the list and that poor and developing countries were often the main victims of fraud.
“The aim is primarily preventative, to put pressure on these countries by publicizing this list to progress towards more transparency,” the officials said.
