Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders have branded corruption a "moral outrage" and said British-owned territories are "among the main enables of such corruption" in a joint letter to the Prime Minister.
The strongly-worded letter comes as David Cameron prepares to host the first international anti-corruption summit in London this Thursday. He has promised to put tackling corruption at the "top of the international agenda" and hopes the world leaders at the conference will sign a pledge to expose corruption and punish those who perpetrate it.
However the letter signed by 14 global faith leaders said the UK's overseas territories and its crown dependencies are complicit in global corruption.
The leaders welcomed the government's announcement that overseas territories and crown dependencies will adopt registers of beneficial ownership which will reveal who owns and controls companies. However the letter urged these to be made available to the public. It added the progress made on public registers of beneficial ownership was "disappointing" since they were raised at the G8 meeting in 2013.
"There is ample precedent for this action (particularly in the Overseas Territories), and commitments in this area will help to demonstrate that the UK is serious about tackling corruption around the world for the benefit of the world's poorest people."
The letter is signed by global leaders from the Anglican, Quaker and Presbyterian leaders as well as Dr Hany El Banna, Chairman of the Muslim Charities Forum and Rabbi Danny Rich, Senior Rabbi and Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism.
World leaders from a number of countries historically linked to corruption will attend the conference in Lancaster House on Thursday. Among the attendees are presidents Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan, Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia and Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, and Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg.
Russia will be represented by deputy foreign minister Oleg Syromolotov.
A Downing Street spokesman said: "We are in discussions with the Overseas Territories and Crown dependencies with major financial centres about their attendance, and expect a number to join the summit."
Ahead of the gathering Cameron said corruption is "the root of so many of the world's problems" and was the "enemy of progress". This was echoed by the faith leaders in their letter who said it cost poorer countries $1 trillion every year.
"We see how corruption stunts development and leads to huge financial outflows from the developing world. It deprives developing countries of the funds they need to provide decent health, education and other public services for their citizens."
A full list of the signatories is below:
Archbishop Francisco de Assis da Silva – Primate, the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil
Revd Suzanne Matale – General Secretary of the Council of Churches in Zambia
Rev Jane Nyirongo, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Zambia
Rt Rev Bishop Alfred Kalembo, President of the Council of Churches in Zambia
Father Alberto Franco – Executive Director, Inter-Church Commission on Justice and Peace, Colombia
Pastor Milton Mejia – General Secretary of the Latin American Council of Churches and Caribbean Council of Churches
Humberto Shikiya – General Director, Methodist Church of Argentina
Pastor Romi Bencke - General Secretary of the National Council of Christian Churches in Brazil
Dr Hany El Banna, Chairman of the Muslim Charities Forum
Paul Parker, Recording Clerk, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain
Very Rev Dr David Ison, Dean of St Paul's Cathedral
Rabbi Danny Rich, Senior Rabbi and Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism
Canon Rev Joel Edwards – Strategic Advisor, Christian Solidarity Worldwide
Canon Dr Angus Richie - Director of the Contextual Theology Centre, and Research Associate at the Faculty of Philosophy in Oxford
