UNCAC self assessment team holds validation workshop in Makeni
The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) Self Assessment Technical Team in collaboration with the Anti-Corruption Commission-Sierra Leone, has on Friday 13th April, 2012 held a validation workshop at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Northern Regional Office, Mena Hills, Makeni.
The workshop which was geared towards presenting to stakeholders, the media, civil society groups and private sector institutions in the North the assessment done so far by the review team on Sierra Leone’s level of compliance with key provisions in the Convention attracted over (55) fifty five participants from various walks of life. Noteworthy is that, Sierra Leone as a country ratified the convention on the 30th September, 2004 adding to the list of over 140 countries to have ratified the UN Legal Instrument.
Welcoming the participants at the workshop, the Regional Manager ACC North Patrick Sandi on behalf of the Commissioner ACC, Mr. Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara Esq. extended his appreciation to all who have made it to such a very important meeting in spite of the challenging weather condition. Mr. Sandi further told his audience that they were going to take another important step in mapping out the way forward for a better Sierra Leone by the deliberations which will dwell significantly on Sierra Leone’s efforts to curb corruption in the country.
The ACC Manager emphasized that, the UNCAC is a document meant to combat and prevent corruption. And as such, the inputs from the participants will be very vital to taking this country to another level in the area of the domestication of the provisions in the UNCAC. Mr. Sandi stressed it to the people that ACC is the lead agency responsible to fight corruption in Sierra Leone, but it needed untainted and undiluted support from the wider public.
Giving the background to UNCAC and purpose of the workshop, the ACC legal luminary and prosecutor Ady Macauley Esq. emphasized the point that UNCAC is a comprehensive treaty that seeks to fight corruption on a global scale. Mr. Macauley furthered that UNCAC covers four main areas: Prevention, Criminalization and Law Enforcement, International Cooperation and Asset Recovery. The ACC prosecutor also noted that the Conference of parties to UNCAC in November, 2009 set up the UNCAC Review mechanism at its third session in Doha. As such, this workshop is a step in reviewing Sierra Leone’s performance so far on domesticating the issues highlighted in the Convention to combat corruption.
Mr. Macaulay stressed that the workshop will look at two critical issues; one, whether there are proper structures instituted to move the fight against corruption forward in Sierra Leone and two, the steps taken as a country to criminalize corruption. Concluding, the prosecutor implored all the participants to take the workshop seriously and report adequately to their colleagues and fellow compatriots all which will be deliberated in the workshop.
In presenting the draft UNCAC joint assessment report to the participants, the Head of Monitoring Unit at the National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA), and also a member of the UNCAC Self Assessment Technical Team Mr. Mohamed John Musa commended ACC for making the review process independent and inclusive, by bringing on board people from all spectrum of society to make inputs in the review process. Mr. Musa further said the workshop was to give opportunity to all Sierra Leoneans to take part in the process as it should be owned by them.
The workshop Mr. Musa emphasized is a nationwide exercise to elicit the views and opinions of all on the UNCAC review mechanism in order to encourage a broader national participation in the process. The UNCAC review expert team member revealed that the UNCAC document itself is bulky but the team has tried its best to summarize it for the understanding of the participants. He also told the listeners that the team has looked at two important articles in the UNCAC for deliberations at the workshop, which are Criminalization and Law Enforcement and International Cooperation. These areas Mr. Musa went on, would be looked at so that a determination could be made whether the country has fully or partially complied, or not complied at all with the requirements of the review mechanism.
Healthy and frank discussions on the draft report, ranging from articles 15 to 38 of the UNCAC treaty and recommendations to form part of the draft joint assessment report climaxed the workshop.
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