The Associated Press
DAVOS, Switzerland - Attorney General John Ashcroft on Thursday urged nations that rallied against terrorism after Sept. 11 to unite again to fight corruption, which costs the world economy more than $2 trillion every year.
In a speech to the World Economic Forum, Ashcroft attacked government officials who pocket payoffs and deprive their people of money for better roads, cleaner water and more modern schools.
We are winning the war on terrorism
he said, but corruption is threatening the capacity of business and government to work together to end the plague of poverty and expand human achievement.
The World Bank estimates the cost of corruption represents about 7 percent of the annual world economy - roughly $2.3 trillion, which is equal to the entire U.S. federal budget, Ashcroft told more than 100 participants at a private lunch during the annual five-day meeting. 17
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