Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia
Scotland has outlined a framework to help member countries, including Nigeria,
investigate and prosecute corruption offences, which cost the global economy
around $2 trillion a year.
The Secretary-General spoke on
Tuesday at the fifth annual regional meeting of the Caribbean heads of
anti-corruption agencies being hosted in the Cayman Islands.
The Commonwealth Anti-Corruption
Benchmarks framework is currently being developed by the Secretariat in
consultation with member countries.
The framework would provide clear
steps to promote integrity and combat graft within public and private sectors.
She said: “This package consists
of a set of 22 benchmarks, covering topics from sanctions for corruption
offences to investigating and prosecuting authorities, and from political
lobbying to the disclosure of asset ownership.
“Each benchmark is defined by a
principle and contains detailed guidance for meeting the set level of
achievement.
“The principles and guidance are
consistent with international standards, and if adopted would go further in
covering other areas of concern not previously addressed.”
This is the first of such
framework to cover all areas of the public and private conduct. It is expected
to be considered by the Commonwealth Heads of Governments in Rwanda next year.
At present, five Commonwealth
Caribbean countries – the Bahamas, Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines,
Dominica and St. Lucia – rank among the 50 least corrupt countries in the
world, while none sit among the top 20 most corrupt.
Patricia Scotland said: “The
Commonwealth’s leadership and cooperation contribute to this [achievement],
which brings member countries together, recognising that we are all at our
strongest when we combine our efforts.
“The Commonwealth has been active
in providing technical assistance and development support for national
anti-corruption agencies to build their effectiveness in dealing with graft.”
However, the Secretary-General
stressed that the work of anti-corruption agencies must continue with renewed
vigour in order to fully achieve the 16 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com