‘Proper legislation can only help fight against corruption’

‘Transparency, integrity mainstay of anti-graft battle’

VIENNA, Aug 23, (KUNA): Kuwait on Tuesday underscored that anti-corruption efforts will only come to fruition when propped up by legislative action and measures that ensure integrity and transparency when dealing with public funds.

Member of Kuwait’s Public Anti-Corruption Authority (PACA) Salah Al-Rashid made those remarks at the Seventh Intersessional Meeting of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Prevention of Corruption, part of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations (UN) Convention against Corruption, held in the Austrian capital, Vienna.

Moreover, Al-Rashid noted that legislative development was instrumental to palpable progress in Kuwait’s efforts to fight corruption and money laundering, adding that the country has formed independent and national authorities tasked with stifling the spread of corruption.

Speaking on measures taken by Kuwait to prevent corruption, Al-Rashid said that the country has introduced a slew of laws aimed at protecting national institutions from the ill effects of corruption, as he espoused the

merits of such virtues as transparency and integrity.

He also spoke of Kuwait’s cognizance of the importance of implementing the “Marrakech Declaration on the Prevention of Corruption,” saying that the country has spared no effort to rid society of any modicum of corruption.

Furthermore, Al-Rashid highlighted similar efforts to fight money-laundering, noting that Kuwait has enacted various laws that

deal with this chicanery. He also added that information technology has been a useful tool utilized to implement laws that deal with corruption and money laundering.

Kuwait’s efforts to ensure maximal integrity also encompasses the sporting sector, AlRashid said, as he pointed to the detrimental effects that corruption can have on the development of sports. The intersessional meeting is expected to tackle the

progress of the implementation of the “Marrakech Declaration on the Prevention of Corruption,” in addition to reviewing the most effective measures to curb corruption.

PACA, in its quest to exterminate corruption, keeps abreast of the latest international governmental details on prevention of corruption, in efforts to ensure sustained peace and development.