This Medium publication is not only about one person. It is about a shared reality: corruption harms people, institutions, communities, economies, and nations. It weakens trust, distorts decisions, rewards the abuse of entrusted authority, and turns public and private power into a source of loss rather than protection.
At The American Anti-Corruption Institute (AACI), we believe that corruption cannot be addressed through slogans, ceremonies, or symbolic compliance. It must be confronted through knowledge, competence, internal control, governance accountability, and disciplined decision-making.
This publication shares reflections, professional insights, and practical anti-corruption perspectives connected to The AACI’s work, including corruption prevention, governance, internal control, ethical decision-making, and the responsible exercise of entrusted authority. It also complements the op-ed pieces and professional articles published on The AACI’s official blog.
A simple principle guides much of this work: what decision-makers do not understand, they often fail to question; and what they fail to question may remain visible, but unnoticed.
Mike J. Masoud is an international anti-corruption expert, educator, and governance advisor. He serves as the Senior Director of The American Anti-Corruption Institute (AACI) across the Middle East and Africa.
He is a Certified Anti-Corruption Leader (CACL), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Anti-Corruption Manager (CACM), and a professional who passed the four parts of the U.S. CPA examination with distinguished scores. He holds an MBA with distinction from Pittsburg State University in Kansas, USA.
Mr. Masoud is the author of The AACI concepts Competent Questioning and Entrusted Authority Intelligence, which address the human judgment, competence, and evidence-seeking discipline required to strengthen governance, reduce corruption exposure, and improve institutional oversight.
With more than two decades of experience in anti-corruption, internal control, governance, and fraud-related advisory work, Mr. Masoud has advised and supported public and private institutions seeking to strengthen their defenses against fraud, corruption, and governance failure. He has also served as a litigation consultant in complex matters involving allegations of corporate fraud, improper financial reporting, and economic crimes.
His work supports boards, audit committees, executive management, public officials, internal auditors, compliance leaders, and governance professionals in moving from ceremonial oversight to evidence-based, competent, and practical corruption-prevention oversight.
Join me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mmasoudcpa
