Cambodia's anti-graft chief rebukes report on weak credibility system
PHNOM PENH -- Om Yintieng, Chairman of
Cambodia's Anti-Corruption Unit, on Tuesday afternoon vehemently
rejected an NGO report claiming that the country's integrity system is
weak and requires significant improvement.
"We do not recognize the report of Transparency International (
TI) Cambodia because TI Cambodia always wants to lead us and tells us to
do this or that, this act is unacceptable," he told reporters.
The official's remarks came after the TI Cambodia, a branch of
the Berlin-based TI, released its 233-page assessment report on "Corruption and Cambodia's Governance System" on Tuesday morning.
The report evaluated 13 pillars, ranging from the judiciary, the Anti-Corruption Unit to civil society and the business sector.
"The report finds some encouraging strengths in a number of
areas, but on the whole Cambodia's integrity system is found to be weak.
While the overall legal framework is found to be relatively robust,
safeguarding independence and accountability of institutions, this
seldom translates into practice," the TI Cambodia said in a press
statement.
"The integrity system still requires a lot of improvement in
order to uphold the rule of law, ensure sustainable development and a
good quality of life for the population at large," the statement said.
It said the judiciary and the law enforcement agencies emerged as
the two weakest pillars, saying that the two pillars were politicized
and highly susceptible to bribery and outside influence.
The report also noted that petty corruption remained commonplace
across both the private and public sectors, leading to situations where
those who could afford to pay more received preferential treatment,
exacerbating inequality and injustice.
In addition, it said the chairman of the Anti-Corruption Unit was
politically appointed at the request of Prime Minister Hun Sen, noting
that this could potentially limit the overall independence of the
institution.
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