Cambodia’s anti-corruption unit will work for asset declaration for first priority

Cambodia’s anti-corruption unit will work for asset declaration for first priority




Cambodia’s anti-corruption unit on 13 announced that it will work on the governmental officials to claim their asset to implement the anti-corruption law when the law comes into force.



“Asset declaration from the governmental officials will be first priority for the unit that need to do,” H.E Om Yen Tieng, head of anti-corruption unit (ACU) told reporters in a new conference at the office. About 100,000 people will announce about their assets and it will happen before November this year and they need to claim their assets in every two years and usually in January, he said, adding if it delayed about asset for all people, please understand our situation of work.



“ACU also will continue to educate, and investigate more cases to implement the law of anti-corruption,” Tieng announced, adding that definition of corruption cases broadly identifies including sex bribery, and other abstract issues. He noted that after we passed the law, the case of corruption was not open like before, he said, adding that people started to be afraid of law before implementing and this is good step for us.



He continued that now, we have 6 million US dollars from the government to spend for 2011 action plan and it also will be used to renovate the office and implement our strategy to fight against corruption in the country. He stresses that more than 100 officials from the unit have been trained about the investigation on the corruption and ways of arresting the bribery officials and people.



He continued that the Unit will host the Regional ASEAN Conference on Anti-corruption in November. From now, we have places to do to practice the law. We will do four sub-decrees on the process of the unit including structure, appointment of officials at the provinces,.



“The governmental officials who have duties to declare asset starting from the appointment by the prime minister and king, they will claim their asset before and leave from the work,” he added, noting “We will protect the sources that revealed the cases of corruption, and we will seek concrete evidence to charge the corruption officials.



“Soon we will sign MOU with ministry of justice to process of the corruption case. It will help keeping sources in secret areas, he said, adding that Cambodian officials who combat corruption have learned from Singapore, Hong Kong, The U.S.and Malaysia and they must be clean ones in our unit. He also appealed for media to help fighting against corruption, report and cooperate to arrest corruption officials. Media will play a crucial role for fighting against corruption and investigate the corruption cases,” he emphasized.



Anti-corruption expert from Hong Kong, Tony Kwok, who helped training Cambodian officials at the anti-corruption unit, said that when we have the good law like anti-corruption law, we all need good staff, I mean clean staff to implement the law that will bring us to more effective and efficient. The media will pay more important role in investigation of corruption and bribery case. And it will join actively to report about these cases and will help the glue for the ACU to follow up and investigate the case,” Tony noted. The media is crucial and useful for helping the law,” he stresses. He added that all staff and governmental officials have to tell about their debt or properties before the appointment and after they leave position in order to be transparency in field of work. Some countries that I have known, they also failed in practicing the law on anti-corruption because their staffs are not good people, either. Priority, the staffs of ACU need to be good people in crucial stage,” Tony said, adding that we have to set up the 24 hours hotline phone, email, fax to get the complaints from people about the corruption and ACU need to totally support identity. The strategy of ACU needs to strengthen the important system for following the cases,” Tony said. ###