Voices from the field – Lucas Passos

Lucas Passos

World Bank Group, Washington DC

In your professional experience, what is the most significant anti‑corruption risk or enforcement challenge currently affecting your country or region?

In my region, one of the most significant integrity risks is definitely the nexus between politically exposed persons (PEPs) and public procurement. Influence over public contract awards, particularly to politically connected entities, fuels both reputational and corruption risks. Enforcement is often undermined by limited investigative capacity, judicial delays and politicisation of oversight bodies.

How is this issue being addressed in your organisation, sector or jurisdiction?

At the World Bank Group (WBG), we respond through enhanced integrity due diligence for high‑risk clients, sector‑specific risk assessments and advising our clients on governance and transparency. We also foster public‑private collaboration and capacity‑building with regulators, as well as public and private sector players to strengthen oversight and procurement controls.

Based on your experience, what is one practical lesson, implementation challenge or effective approach that may be relevant to practitioners in other jurisdictions?

A key lesson I have learnt is to manage perception risks alongside legal and compliance risks. In several matters, proactive disclosure of relationships, combined with independent integrity reviews, helped mitigate stakeholder concerns − even where no actual wrongdoing was established.

Looking ahead, what emerging development, regulatory shift or risk area are you monitoring most closely?

At the WBG we are closely monitoring the integration of beneficial ownership registries into procurement systems and the adoption of AI‑driven analytics to flag red‑zones in contracting. Both trends could significantly reshape enforcement expectations and cross‑border compliance in the region.