First CIAA should investigate the simple most corrupted place, AIRPORT & ITS EMPLOYEE

Corruption: Bane of new Nepal

KATHMANDU, MAR 24 -

Nepal scored 2.2 out of 10 on the 2010 corruption index. According to the international standard, countries scoring less than 3 are considered most corrupt. That Nepal fell on the index scale indicates a further rise in corruption.

Corruption in Nepal lies in an "inverted tree" structure. This means corruption is rampant at the policy-making level. Had the responsible people at the upper level checked the misuse of authority, the result would have been something positive. We have several laws that contradict each other, harbouring corruption.

The CIAA is assigned to look into about 40 percent of the corruption cases in government offices. Private sector, constitutional bodies, Nepal Army and courts are out of the CIAA radar. This limited mandate has helped corruption.

Transparency International has ranked Nepal 146th among 178 countries in its latest annual report. A research suggests that land revenue, police, transport, electricity, education and district administrative offices are prone to corruption in Nepal.

Global scenario has shown that corruption severely undermines development efforts and aggravates poverty. And Nepal cannot be an exception. Corruption is one of the major reasons behind our poverty. Equally important, corruption has eroded people's faith in the government. As a result, popular perception has grown that politics, crime and corruption are a way of life.

The National Vigilance Centre was established in an attempt to curb thriving corruption. The CIAA is also doing its best but corruption is not under its control. In 2008, we submitted a report to the government to ratify the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). After three years, in February end, the government ratified the convention. But it can be a good beginning. The ratification of UNCAC has cleared the way for bringing NGOs, INGOs, private sector and parties under the purview of anti-graft bodies. Moreover, the Corruption Prevention Act-2002 will have to be amended to meet the UNCAC criteria. The ratification of the convention has also facilitated investigation into the money deposited in foreign banks. We are preparing to inform the UN Secretary General about the convention ratification. A country needs to inform the UN chief of any ratification within 90 days. Ratification alone, however, is not enough. The government needs to amend several related Acts, law and by-laws. This will widen the jurisdiction of anti-graft bodies.

You all are well informed that CIAA has been functioning without its heads and deputies for four years. The government's pledge to combat corruption will prove a failure especially when the parties appoint their men in key posts utterly disregarding meritocracy. Before appointing commissioners, the government should set criteria for selecting untainted candidates. For this, political leaders must learn to choose decent and deserving persons instead of prioritising those "favourable" to them.

At a time when the country is preparing to embrace a federal order by means of the new constitution, the CIAA should be expanded to cover the new states. Unlike the present when the CIAA personnel come from the civil service, they should be appointed by the corruption watchdog itself. Individuals committed to an anti-corruption movement wholeheartedly can succeed in arresting corruption.

(As told by the CIAA spokesman to Nirjana Sharma)