The president of the Republic of Singapore is the head of state of Singapore. The president represents the country in official diplomatic functions and possesses certain executive powers over the Government of Singapore, including the control of the national reserves and the ability to revoke and appoint public service appointments. The president also holds the prerogative to grant pardons.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption is the statutory independent anti-corruption body of Hong Kong with the primary objective of combating corruption in both the public and private sectors. Established in 1974 and operating independently from the Hong Kong government and law enforcement agencies, the ICAC is headed by the Commissioner, who reports directly to the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. The ICAC has played a crucial role in maintaining Hong Kong's reputation as one of the least corrupt places globally and fostering a culture of integrity within the city.
In Singapore, law enforcement is principally led by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), and supported by other agencies including the Singapore Prison Service, Central Narcotics Bureau, Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, Internal Security Department, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, and Singapore Customs. Furthermore, some law enforcement powers may be exercised by non-government entities such as auxiliary police forces and security officers.
Law enforcement in Malaysia is performed by numerous law enforcement agencies and primarily the responsibility of the Royal Malaysia Police. Like many federal nations, the nature of the Constitution of Malaysia mandates law and order as a subject of a state, which means that local government bodies also have a role to play in law enforcement, therefore the bulk of the policing lies with the respective states and territories of Malaysia. Below are some of the law enforcement bodies and agencies of Malaysia.
NCS Group is a multinational information technology company headquartered in Singapore. Founded in 1981 as an agency of the Singapore government, it was privatised in 1996 and subsequently become part of the Singtel group in 1997. NCS has over 12,000 staff located in more than 20 cities across Asia Pacific.
Teh Cheang Wan was a Singaporean politician and architect who served as Minister for National Development between 1979 and 1986. A former member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Geylang West SMC between 1979 and 1986.
The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted to combat corruption in government agencies and public sector businesses in India.
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is a domestic law enforcement agency and economic intelligence agency responsible for enforcing economic laws and fighting economic crimes in India. It is part of the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government Of India. The Enforcement Directorate focuses on investigating and prosecuting cases related to money laundering, foreign exchange violations, Co Corruption and economic offenses. Its primary objective is to curb the generation and circulation of black money and to ensure compliance with the laws concerning foreign exchange and prevention of money laundering. However, targets of the enforcement directorate have claimed that they misuse powers against activists, scholars, and political rivals.
Subramaniam Iswaran, commonly known as S. Iswaran, is a Singaporean former politician who served as Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations between 2018 and 2024 and Minister for Transport between 2021 and 2024. A former member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the West Coast division of West Coast GRC between 2001 and 2024. Iswaran resigned as Minister of Transport, Member of Parliament, and the People's Action Party on 16 January 2024, two days before he pleaded not guilty to 27 charges of "obtaining gratification as a public servant", corruption, and obstructing justice.
Corruption in Pakistan is widespread, and extends to every sector from government to judiciary, police, health services, education, and military.
Public Prosecutor v. Taw Cheng Kong is a landmark case decided in 1998 by the Court of Appeal of Singapore which shaped the landscape of Singapore's constitutional law. The earlier High Court decision, Taw Cheng Kong v. Public Prosecutor, was the first instance in Singapore's history that a statutory provision was struck down as unconstitutional. The matter subsequently reached the Court of Appeal when the Public Prosecutor applied for a criminal reference for two questions to be considered. The questions were:
- whether section 37(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act ("PCA") was ultra vires the powers of the legislature on the ground that the legislature had, under section 6(3) of the Republic of Singapore Independence Act 1965, been divested of the power to legislate extraterritorially; and
- whether section 37(1) of the PCA was discriminatory against Singapore citizens and hence inconsistent with Article 12(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore.
The Jan Lokpal Bill, also referred to as the Citizen's Ombudsman Bill, was a bill drawn up by civil society activists in India seeking the appointment of a Jan Lokpal, an independent body to investigate corruption cases and complete the investigation within a year for envisaging trial in the case getting completed within one year.
Corruption is rife in Papua New Guinea (PNG). According to The Economist, "PNG's governments are notorious for corruption, and ever run the risk of turning the state into a fully-fledged kleptocracy".
Corruption in Thailand is a national issue. Thai law provides criminal penalties for conviction of official corruption. Thailand's 2014 military junta, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), stated that fighting corruption would be one of its main focus points, a common practice for military dictatorships following Thailand's frequent military coups. Despite the promises, officials engaged in corrupt practices with impunity, and the NCPO engaged in corrupt practices itself.
The Republic of Singapore is generally perceived as one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Cases are mostly handled by the Singapore Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), a government agency in Singapore that investigates and prosecutes corruption in the public and private sectors. According to a Transparency International survey, an overwhelming majority of people in Singapore do not hear cases of corruption by public officials or institutions through media in their lifetime. In 2020, Singapore's public sector was ranked by Transparency International as the fourth least corrupt in the world and the most transparent in Asia.
General elections are due to be held in Singapore no later than 23 November 2025 to determine the composition of the fifteenth Parliament. The elections will be the nineteenth in Singapore since 1948 and the fourteenth since independence.
Prevention of Corrupt Activities Act, Act 12 of 2004 in South Africa provides for the strengthening of measures to prevent and combat corruption and corrupt activities in both the public and private sectors of South African society.
Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Kerala (VACB) is an agency of Government of Kerala constituted to investigate offences of bribery and corruption falling within the purview of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 in the state of Kerala. The VACB was established in 1964 and operates under the control of the Vigilance Department of the Government of Kerala. The VACB has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, and has several regional offices across the state.
In May 2023, at the direction of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) of Singapore began an investigation of ministers K. Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan of the People's Action Party (PAP) and their rentals of state-owned bungalows at 26 and 31 Ridout Road respectively. An independent review led by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean was launched a week later. The CPIB concluded that there was "no evidence to suggest any abuse of position by the ministers for personal gain", whereas Teo found that there was "no abuse of power or conflict of interest resulting in the ministers gaining any unfair advantage or privilege". Following the release of both reports in June, Lee remarked that both Shanmugam and Balakrishnan "retain my full confidence".
Public Prosecutor v. S Iswaran is a case brought by the Attorney-General of Singapore against Singaporean former politician Subramaniam Iswaran, who faces 27 charges of "obtaining gratification as a public servant", corruption, and obstructing justice. The lawsuit was precipitated by an investigation of Iswaran's dealings with Malaysian billionaire Ong Beng Seng by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) that officially began on 11 July 2023 and ended sometime before 9 January 2024.
