Country review to focus on Criminalisation
and Law Enforcement, as well as International Cooperation
A
DETAILED country review of the implementation of United Nations Convention
Against Corruption (UNCAC) is underway, which will focus on two convention
chapters: Criminalisation and Law Enforcement, and International Cooperation.
The
Secretary of the Conference of the State Parties to the UNCAC, Dimitrios
Vlassis told The Brunei Times that although he could not delve into the
details, they have been very well received, adding that there has been full
engagement from all their counterparts.
"We
are going through a very detailed process. Right now, a very detailed review of
particularly two chapters of the convention; the chapters on Criminalisation
and Law Enforcement, such as investigation and prosecution, and International
Cooperation, meaning between countries in extradition, mutual legal assistance,
joint investigation and exchange of information," said Vlassis.
Vlassis
and a group of experts in the field of anti-corruption enforcement are on a
three-day work visit to Brunei as part of the implementation of the new
mechanism of UNCAC.
"We
have been very well received. Brunei clearly takes this whole process seriously
at all levels, which is very welcomed," said Vlassis during a courtesy
call to Attorney General, Datin Seri Paduka Hjh Hayati POKSDSP Hj Mohd Salleh,
at the Law Building in the capital yesterday.
The
group of experts had earlier collected information based on a self-assessment
checklist as an innovative approach to gather information on a country's
implementation of the convention.
The
visit was also an opportunity for the experts to have a direct dialogue with
all stakeholders concerned, including the Attorney General's Chambers, in
providing further clarification and information for the review.
The
delegation has made visits to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Attorney General's
Chamber, the Financial Intelligence Unit, the Ministry of Finance and Trade, and
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Also on
their agenda are visits to the Judiciary, and the Royal Brunei Police Force.
By the
end of the review, Vlassis hopes that it will have meaningful results to share
with everyone, including with the media, to understand the problem and
complexities better, as well as facts.
"We
cannot approach the issues of corruption superficially, we need to go into
depth," he said.
He also
said that journalists need to be detached from the transparent international
indexes that "you follow almost religiously".
"(The
indexes) of which I think do not do justice to the complexity of the issue. The
ranking is good, it's interesting for the media, but does not give a full
picture," said Vlassis.
Every
country that is a party to the convention must undergo this review or
implementation, to which Brunei had ratified in 2008. Two countries, Yemen and
Liechtenstein , have been allotted to review Brunei's implementation efforts in
the areas of Criminalisation and Law Enforcement and International Cooperation.
The
process of the review begins from a self-assessment checklist, which is done by
Brunei and shared with the reviewers. A desk review is then carried out by the
reviewers, followed by the response.
The
reviewers would also ask for additional information, clarifications and
additional materials to support the answers the country has given. If the
country requires, there is also a country visit.
The
visit would bring together reviewers with the Secretariat of the Convention
with a programme developed by the government, by the country and the review.
These
would assist in discussing matters face to face to clarify the situation
further, to identify what the country is doing well, of the challenges and what
the country needs to do to fully implement the convention.
At the
end of this process, there is a report drafted by the reviewers with the
assistance of the secretariat and an executive summary.
The
report belongs to the country and the review decides what to do with it.
The
executive summary then becomes a UN document, is translated into the six
official language and then published.
"This
is a very interesting development for the establishment of this mechanism and
its operation. For a convention that covers the globe, there are 159 countries
from all regions that participates. To have a mechanism like this, a peer
review mechanism, is the first of its kind," said Vlassis.
He said
this is very important due the large number of countries, which are ratified by
the engagement and its seriousness.
"When
you think of the fact that this is a very labour intensive process, its very
detailed and requires a lot of work," said Vlassis.
The
mechanism has been fully operational now, as 26 reviews have been conducted in
the first year, followed by 41 reviews this year, and another 40 starting up as
of June."
"It
is an interesting experiment; it has been going well so far," said
Vlassis.
The
delegation, who arrived on Sunday, will be concluding their working visit
today.
SYAZWAN
SADIKIN
The
Brunei Times
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