PARAMARIBO--Suriname’s National Assembly on Wednesday night passed the Anti-Corruption law, new legislation that is supposed to help fight dishonest behaviour among civil servants. It comes as the country remains ranked among the list of “very corrupt” countries.
The law was proposed three years ago. Lengthy discussions followed, during which – for instance – acting Justice and Police Minister Ferdinand Welzijn explained that it was intended to work preventively.
The Explanatory Notes regarding the bill point out that for a proper functioning of the democracy it is important that civilians trust Government. “This trust is damaged when civil servants are guilty of forms of corruption. It is from these people especially that the society expects integrity and that they work in the interest of developing the country.”
It explained that the bill provides for the introduction of further legislation regarding prevention and combatting corruption in the public sector.
The Minister said that once the law was passed, an anti-corruption commission would be appointed that would be charged with prevention and early detection of irregularities within state institutions. After investigating irregularities that it detects, the committee would have the authority to refer them to the Attorney General.
The Corruption bill found wide support in Parliament, with 40 of the 51 members of the National Assembly voting in favour. Loud applause erupted amongst the parliamentarians who voted. “This is a no-nonsense and zero tolerance law,” Member of Parliament (MP) Andre Misiekaba (NDP), one of the initiators said.
He said the bill targeted all public officials who abuse the authority that comes with their professions, who accept gifts as payments for their services or who desist from doing their jobs to favour others.
“And people who commit acts against the interest of the state also have a problem,” said Misiekaba. He hinted that corruption has occurred during each sitting Government and stressed that this can now be tackled head on. “This is good for the country,” said the MP, adding that he was happy that the legislation also arranged for protection of whistle blowers who report corruption.
MP Carl Breeveld (DOE) who over the years has consistently called for expedition in passing the bill, said that it was important that the Prosecutor’s Office received support. “This law will demand a lot from the prosecution apparatus,” he said.
Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, the chair of the National Assembly said that she too was happy that the law was passed. She said that while there were other laws that tackled corruption, this particular legislation introduced sharper measures, like the implementation of the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Suriname is plagued by an ominous reputation as far as corruption is concerned, that was often cited as a stumbling block for international investors. In 2016, Transparency International ranked it the 64th least corrupt nation out of 175 countries.
