For an organization with the word “transparency” in its name, Transparency International has chosen to remain pretty tight-lipped about its highly unusual decision in January to strip its longtime U.S. affiliate—Transparency International-USA—of its accreditation.

Jaclyn Jaeger is a freelance contributor to Compliance Week after working for the company for 15 years. She writes on a wide variety of topics, including ethics and compliance, risk management, legal,...