[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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