Today is International Anti-Corruption Day.
At no point in recent history has combatting corruption felt more urgent across the world. I’m the Associate Producer of Bribe, Inc. The film was written, directed, and produced by GRC founder Peter Klein and follows a true story exposing the shady underpinnings that fuel global commerce. The Daily Mail called it the “greatest expose of bribery and corruption in modern history.”
Before working on this project, I had limited understanding of how corrosive and damaging corruption can be. Of course, like many of you reading this, I understood that shady business deals happen in dark rooms around the world.
But what our team uncovered was corruption on a scale none of us anticipated, particularly in Iraq, where a small company called Unaoil spent more than a decade fixing multi-million dollar contracts for major oil and gas companies like Rolls-Royce, Halliburton, and Leighton Holdings.
The most insidious aspect of corruption is that it trickles down to the most vulnerable in society. Our team visited a hospital in Iraq where locals said corruption within healthcare contracts led to an oxygen shortage. This meant that desperate families were bringing in their own tanks, which were then not disposed of safely. The tanks piled up — they exploded — and more than 80 people were killed.
To raise awareness for International Anti-Corruption Day, Bribe, Inc. is hosting a special screening tonight at the US Navy Memorial in Washington DC. Tickets are still available here. In association with the GRC, the documentary is available to stream via Jolt.
Working on Bribe, Inc. taught me just how pervasive corruption is, but it’s also shown me something else: protest can be powerful.
From Nepal to Madagascar to Peru, people have been standing up to their leaders, demanding change and an end to systemic corruption. Each protest looks different, but the message is the same — a call for dignity, accountability, and transparency in those who hold power.
It’s on us to speak up for a world where corruption is no longer the path of least resistance. I hope you’ll join us — to call it out, to push back, and to help build a stronger democracy. And to help us fund these global investigative projects.
Oscar Beardmore-Gray,
Associate Producer, Bribe, Inc.
