HAITI RECEIVES ON-SITE VISIT OF THE OAS ANTICORRUPTION MECHANISM (MESICIC)

From April 8 – 10, 2014, Haiti received, with its consent, a visit by the Commission of the OAS Anticorruption Mechanism (Mechanism for Follow-Up on the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption – MESICIC), as part of the review process of said Mechanism, carried out in accordance with the Methodology adopted by consensus by its Member States.

The Commission was composed by Mr. Mario Hidalgo Jara, Technical Analyst of the Implementation of International Instruments to Combat Corruption of the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Oversight (CPCCS) of Ecuador and current Chair of the Committee of Experts of MESICIC; Mrs. Marcela Miranda Pérez, Chief Councilwoman of CPCCS, and Ms. Carmita Idrovo Correa, Technical Analyst of the Implementation of International Instruments to Combat Corruption of CPCCS; as well as Mr. Antonio M. Lam, Head of International Technical Cooperation Office of the National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (ANTAI) of Panama, who were supported by General Secretariat of the OAS in the visit.

During the three days of work, the members of the Commission met with the top authorities and other representatives of Haiti’s Unit for Combating Corruption; the General Inspectorate of Finance; the National Public Procurement Commission; the High Judicial Council; the Supreme Court of Auditors and Administrative Disputes; the Office of Administration and Human Resources; and the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, among others, in order to obtain objective and complete information and reveal potential difficulties in the implementation of the Inter-American Convention. It also provided an opportunity to facilitate the obtaining of information related to best practices, and provided Haiti the opportunity to benefit from or to request technical assistance.   

The Commission also had the opportunity to meet with civil society organizations, private sector organizations, professional associations, academics and researchers, in order to address issues related to the challenges facing the investigation, prosecution, and punishment of acts of corruption in Haiti; civil society’s views on the role of oversight bodies in Haiti; conflict of interests; sworn statements of assets and liabilities; as well as the participation of the civil society in the fight against corruption in Haiti.

The results of this visit forms part of the review process that is currently being carried out by the Committee of Experts of the MESICIC, and which will conclude with the adoption of the first Haiti report by the Committee at its next plenary meeting to be held in September 2014, in Washington DC at OAS Headquarters.

The MESICIC is a cooperation mechanism between States, with the participation of civil society organizations, established within the framework of the OAS, in which the legal/institutional framework of each country is reviewed for suitability with the Inter-American Convention against Corruption as well as the objective results achieved therein. The incorporation of on-site visits as a stage and integral part of the MESICIC review process represents an innovative and pioneering initiative in the context of the OAS, especially for a peer review mechanism and the importance of the issues it addresses.