    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [August 10, 2006]
    [Pages 1504-1505]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Kleptocracy
    August 10, 2006

        For too long, the culture of corruption has undercut development and
    good governance and bred criminality and mistrust around the world.
    High-level corruption by senior government officials, or kleptocracy, is
    a grave and corrosive abuse of power and represents the most invidious
    type of public corruption. It threatens our national interest and
    violates our values. It impedes our efforts to promote freedom and
    democracy, end poverty, and combat international crime and terrorism.
    Kleptocracy is an obstacle to democratic progress, undermines faith in
    government institutions, and steals prosperity from the people.
    Promoting transparent, accountable governance is a critical component of
    our freedom agenda.
        At this year's G-8 meeting in St. Petersburg, my colleagues joined
    me in calling for strengthened international efforts to deny kleptocrats
    access to our financial systems and safe haven in our countries;
    stronger efforts to combat fraud, corruption, and misuse of public
    resources; and increased capacity internationally to prevent
    opportunities for high-level public corruption. Today I am announcing a
    new element in my administration's plan to fight kleptocracy, the
    National Strategy to Internationalize Efforts Against Kleptocracy, which
    sets forth a framework to deter, prevent, and address high-level public
    corruption. It identifies critical tools to detect and prosecute corrupt
    officials around the world, so that the promise of economic assistance
    and growth reaches the people.
        Our objective is to defeat high-level public corruption in all its
    forms and to deny corrupt officials access to the international
    financial system as a means of defrauding their people and hiding their
    ill-gotten gains. Given the nature of our open, accessible international
    financial system, our success in fighting kleptocracy will depend upon
    the participation and accountability of our partner nations, the
    international financial community, and regional and multilateral
    development institutions. Together we can confront kleptocracy and help
    create the conditions necessary for people everywhere to enjoy the full
    benefits of honest, just, and accountable governance.

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