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US State Dept. report highlights “ineffective” anti-corruption mechanisms
By Rehanna Ramsay
A 2015 US State Department report has weighed in on Guyana’s stalled progress in establishing key mechanisms to combat corruption in the hierarchy of governance.
The report on Guyana specifically highlighted the law which provides for criminal penalties for corruption by officials and the government.
According to the US State Department, the APNU- AFC administration has responded to isolated reports of government corruption during 2015 but there remains a widespread public perception of corruption involving officials at all levels, including the police and the judiciary.
The report further outlined that the law provides for criminal penalties for corruption by officials, however, the government did not implement the law effectively.
“Although the law requires public officials to declare their assets to an Integrity Commission, the Commission has not been constituted.” the report stated.
In 2012, the then Prime Minister Samuel Hinds stated that members would soon be appointed to this Commission.
The document outlined that “members were not appointed, however, and the Commission remained inoperative.”
Additionally, the Department said that the law sets out both criminal and administrative sanctions for non-disclosure by public officials but no such publication or convictions occurred for the year.
“If a person fails to file a declaration, that fact can be published in the daily newspapers and the official Gazette. Failure to comply with the law can lead to a summary conviction, fines, and imprisonment for six to 12 months. If property is not disclosed as it should have been, the Magistrate convicting the defendant must order the defendant to make a full disclosure within a set time.”
Commenting on the public access to information, the State Department noted that the law provides for persons to secure access to information under the control of public authorities and for the appointment of a Commissioner of Information.
“In 2013 the government appointed a Commissioner, but the government has not issued implementing regulations. Requests to the Commissioner were infrequent.” the document stated.
Earlier this year, US Ambassador Perry Holloway reaffirmed his country’s commitment to help fight corruption in Guyana. His comments came following the release of the 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International which indicated that Guyana has shown little sign of improvement.
During an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News, Holloway spoke on the absence of an active Integrity Commission, and whether or not he viewed it as imperative and should become operational soon.
The Ambassador chose not to comment on the Commission as a single policy measure to deter corruption, but emphasised that the US is all for any strong mechanism intended to address corruption.
Holloway said the United States is all for transparency and anti-corruption measures.
He added that the concept of greater transparency in public officials is one that the US has made continuous efforts to promote in Guyana as well as other countries around the world.
The envoy opined that one of the challenges facing Guyana is that “it is still a developing country, it is a young country, relatively speaking, and so it has lots of challenges.”
“So while any given issue reported in the newspaper is important, it is hard for a government to work on all at once. Therefore there needs to be a priority, but unfortunately when you prioritize, it brings a different issue.”
He noted however that it is for the government and the people to decide how they will go about having greater transparency and anti-corruption practices, but it is certainly a key part of any successful democracy.
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