Advances in Implementation of
the Anti-Corruption Convention
The Committee of Experts of the Mechanism for Follow-up on
the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (known by its Spanish acronym
MESICIC) made significant advances in the process of implementation of the
Convention during its 14th meeting, held December 8-12, 2008.
This meeting, at which the Committee adopted reports for
Grenada, Suriname, Brazil, and Belize, marked the successful conclusion of the
Second Round of Review of the MESICIC. During the Second Round, a total of 28
country reports were adopted, all of which include concrete recommendations to
close legal gaps and correct inadequacies of the legal frameworks related to the
provisions of the Convention analyzed during the round. In the reports, the
Committee gave clear guidance for government hiring and procurement to be based
on the principles of publicity, equity, and efficiency; for acts of corruption
to be duly criminalized; and for protection to be provided to those who report
acts of corruption.
During the Second Round, the progress made by the countries
in the implementation of the recommendations formulated during the First Round
of review was also evaluated. These recommendations were aimed at states
putting effective tools in place to prevent conflicts of interest; conserve
public resources; encourage the reporting of acts of corruption; detect illicit
enrichment; encourage the participation of civil society in the fight against
corruption; strengthen oversight bodies; and improve international legal
cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of acts of corruption.
The 28 country reports will be available online
on the
MESICIC
web page, along with the Hemispheric Report on the Second Round,
which was also adopted by the Committee during last week’s meeting. The
Hemispheric Report synthesizes the results of the Second Round, highlighting the
most common recommendations made and the progress achieved by the countries in
the implementation of the recommendations from the First Round.
During the five day meeting, the Committee also adopted the
methodology which will be used in the Third Round of Review, as well as the
questionnaire which will be used to gather information directly from the states
with respect to selected provisions of the Convention. These instruments, also
available on the
MESICIC
web page, in conjunction with the active participation of civil
society, will allow the Committee to continue the review process.
The topics to be reviewed in the Third Round include the
denial or elimination of favorable tax treatment for expenditures or payments
made in violation of the anticorruption laws; the prevention of bribery of
domestic and foreign government officials; the criminalization of translational
bribery and illicit enrichment; and the extradition of those who commit acts of
corruption.
The General Secretariat of the OAS, through its Department of
Legal Cooperation, which serves as the Technical Secretariat to the MESICIC,
took advantage of the meeting of Experts to circulate two model laws which can
be used by the states parties to the MESICIC to improve legislation dealing with
the prevention of corruption, access to public information, and standards of
conduct for public servants. In addition, legislative guidelines were also
provided, which outline the essential elements that should be included in a
legal framework in order to adequately regulate the hiring of public servants;
conflicts of interest; preservation of public resources; systems for the
declaration of assets, income and liabilities; participation of civil society;
oversight bodies; and mutual assistance between states in the fight against
corruption.
For more information please visit the
MESICIC
web page.
|
Anti-Corruption Newsletter
Edition N° 19 - December 2008
- The Mechanism For Follow-up on the
Implementation of the Inter-American
Convention against Corruption, known as MESICIC for its Spanish acronym, is a tool to
support the development of the Inter-American
Convention against Corruption through
cooperation between States Parties.
Read more
here…
|