Sunday 19 January 2020
The Dialogue Forum for Development and Human Rights issues its report about corruption in Egypt within the year 2019, demanding to issue a low that can protect whistle-blowers and witnesses
On Sunday 19th January, 2020, the Unit of (Monitoring Integrity and Transparency) at the Dialogue Forum for Development and Human Rights issued the sixth monitoring report on corruption in Egypt within the year 2019. The report, which is located in (37) pages, includes a number of observations from the reality of monitoring and documenting corruption cases in Egypt during the past year. The most important of them were as follows:
First: The number of corruption cases documented during the year 2019 reached about 120 cases.
Second: The total amounts seized in these cases amounted nearly one billion and 100 million pounds.
Third: CAIRO Governorate came in the first place as the highest governorate that witnessed corruption cases, nearly about (41) cases, followed by GIZA, ALEXANDERIA and SUEZ governorates with 6 cases. The lowest corruption cases were at BENI SUEF, BEHEIRA, ASWAN and PORT SAID governorates, at a rate of one case, while the governorates of NEW VALLEY and DAKAHLIA did not record any cases in 2019.
Fourth: Those accused of committing corruption incidents came from the category of senior officials, junior employees and ordinary citizens who do not occupy any government positions.
Fifth: The months of May and October came as the highest two months, witnessing cases of arrests accused of corruption, about 19 cases, followed by January, about 18 cases. Then months of February, June and November recorded about 12 cases. And April came as the lowest month in which recorded only one corruption case.
Sixth: The ministries of local and financial development came as the highest two ministries that witnessed cases of control of corruption cases with 14 cases, followed by the Ministry of Justice with 13 cases, while the least of them came in corruption cases, and the ministries of communications and the environment in one case.
SAEED ABDEL HAFEZ, the forum manager, emphasizes that the Egyptian government has taken important steps in the field of fighting corruption during the past six years, by setting out clear strategies to combat corruption and the fall of senior officials who profited from their public office. Such governmental behavior confirms the presence of a political will to eradicate the corruption and complete development measures in Egypt. ABDEL HAFEZ points the importance of completing that by issuing legislations that are consistent with the international fighting corruption agreements in Egypt.
The Integrity and Transparency Monitoring Unit at the Dialogue Forum called for a number of recommendations within its report, the most important of which are:
1- Promptly issuing a special law to protect whistle-blowers and witnesses in corruption cases.
2- Pass a law that guarantees the citizen freedom to access information.
3- Consider adopting measures to enhance the identification and transparency of the entities that contribute to the donation of candidates for elected positions and political parties.
4- Take the necessary measures to issue the necessary executive regulations that ensure the activation of Law No. 106 of 2013, related to prevent interests’ conflict.
5- Issuing legislation to regulate the issue of mutual legal assistance or asset recovery in detail within the framework of the rules established by international agreements or in accordance with the principle of reciprocity (Article 18 of the Anti-Money Laundering Law). That includes the set of measures and procedures available in internal criminal procedures, including those Related to tracking, freezing, seizing and confiscating property.
6- Strengthening financial disclosure measures for specific public employees, as well as internal control and review process, and adopting an electronic filing system.
7. Consider requiring the relevant public officials who have an interest in a financial account in a foreign country or a signature authority or other authority on that account to inform the relevant authorities of that relationship
8- Issuing a law that gives the state the right to confiscate property acquired, committing a crime or connected with it. Without criminal conviction, in cases where the perpetrator cannot be pursued due to (death, flight or absence)
