World Bank buildingInter Press Service: World Bank Unmoved as Allegations Build Around Official
Summary: World Bank Managing Director Mahmoud Mohieldin is being accused of corruption, abuse of authority, and mismanagement of public funds during his time as a minister in the administration of former Egyptian Prime Minister Hosni Mubarak. The World Bank now refuses to release Mohieldin’s financial records.
GAP's International Reform program posted a long-form blog this morning on Mohieldin's time in Egypt, his role in privatization scandals, and current tenure at the Bank.
Key Quote: The bank’s legal counsel, Anne-Marie Leroy, told the Government Accountability Project (GAP) that the bank had to strike "a careful balance between disclosure of financial interests and personal privacy and security concerns," and therefore decided against disclosing Mohieldin’s financial statements.
Harper’s Magazine: A Setback for Obama’s War on Whistleblowers
Summary: Despite its inability to fully prosecute National Security Agency whistleblower Thomas Drake or to successfully subpoenaNew York Times reporter James Risen, the Department of Justice seems unlikely to curb their “war on whistleblowers.” If this continues, states this Harper's piece, this administration “will reveal itself to be the most aggressive foe of whistleblowers in Washington’s history.”
This Los Angeles Times op-ed from J. William Leonard argues that the government is over-classifying documents. In his opinion, many of the documents that were “classified” in the Drake case should not have been.
Key Quote: Every 6-year-old knows what a secret is. But apparently our nation's national security establishment does not.
NBC Sports: Ricky Williams Inadvertently Blows Whistle on Lions
Summary: National Football League (NFL) running back Ricky Williams revealed that a coach from the Detroit Lions approached him about joining the team while he was still under exclusive contract with the Miami Dolphins. This is a violation of league tampering rules.
Another NFL player, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez, recently told a local newspaper that human growth hormone (HGH) use is happening in the NFL.
Currently, most sports leagues (including the NFL) do not have whistleblower protection policies in place.
Read GAP’s blog on this subject.
Washington Post: Organic Farming Reduces Resistance of Bacteria to Antibiotics, Study Finds
Summary: A study released today found that conventional poultry farmers who switched to organic practices, ending their use of antibiotics, lowered the rates of bacteria resistant to drugs.
Summary: A former pipe worker for a district water agency in California has filed a wrongful termination suit, claiming he was fired after exposing that a coworker tried to poison feral cats.
ONE News (New Zealand): Whistleblower Tenant Thrown Out of Squalid Hostel
Summary: A resident of a boarding house in Auckland, New Zealand who blew the whistle on the terrible living conditions, has been evicted.
IBN Live (India): Whistleblower Official Fears for his Life
Summary: A distance-learning director at an Indian university has been receiving threatening phone calls since revealing an admission scam.
Hannah Johnsons is the Communications Fellow for the Government Accountability Project, the nation's leading whistleblower protection organization.
