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News : International : Organization of American States (OAS) Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


OAS Anti-Corruption Mechanism Releases Report on Grenada
By OAS
Sep 23, 2014 - 12:25:17 AM

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The Committee of Experts of the Follow-up Mechanism for the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC) of the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted the report on Grenada on the implementation of that treaty in the framework of the Fourth Round of Review, during its twenty-fourth meeting held at the headquarters of the hemispheric institution in Washington, DC.

The report on Grenada provides a comprehensive review of the structure, operation, and administration of the Integrity Commission (IC); the Public Service Commission (PSC); the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP); and the Audit Department (AD)—four of the main oversight bodies responsible for preventing, detecting, punishing, and eradicating corruption in the Caribbean country.

The review was carried out taking into account Grenada’s response to a questionnaire, information gathered by the MESICIC Technical Secretariat, under the OAS, and, as a new and important source of information, the on-site visit conducted, with the approval of the country under review, from April 22 to 24, 2014, by a committee comprising representatives of Colombia, the United States and the Technical Secretariat. During the visit, meetings were held with representatives of the aforementioned governmental bodies, civil society, and the private sector.

The report contains a set of recommendations for the consideration of Grenada in relation to the reviewed bodies, among which are the following: regarding the Integrity Commission, the report suggests specifying its functions vis-à-vis those of the Public Service Commission in the area of disciplinary oversight of public servants and adopting the Code of Conduct and other regulations provided for under the Integrity in Public Life Act.

With respect to the Public Service Commission, the report recommends updating the regulations that govern it, standardizing its disciplinary oversight functions with those of the IC and adopting coordination mechanisms with other bodies.

As regards the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the report proposes to adopt the measures necessary to preserve its operational autonomy; to adopt coordination mechanisms with other bodies; to ensure the timely delivery of budget resources needed to discharge its functions; to assign a sufficient number of prosecutors and support staff to it; and to ensure that prosecutors receive periodic training on how to prosecute corrupt acts.

As to the Audit Department, the report suggests adopting the measures necessary to enable it to send its reports, in parallel, to the Minister of Finance and the House of Representatives, and ensuring the effective implementation of the recommendations of the AD.

The second part of the document contains the follow-up to the recommendations made to Grenada during the First Round, and among those that remain pending of its consideration are strengthening of the implementation of the provisions on conflicts of interest, as well as ensuring that the laws on this matter are applicable to all public servants.

The report also summarizes the progress made in the implementation of some recommendations, in particular the passage of the Integrity in Public Life Act of September 2013.

In addition to the report on Grenada, MESICIC adopted similar reports on Belize, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname, which are available here.

The MESICIC is a cooperation mechanism between states, with the broad participation of civil society organizations, in which the legal/institutional framework of each country is reviewed for suitability with the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, as well as the objective results achieved therein. The incorporation of on-site visits as a stage and integral part of the MESICIC review process represents an innovative initiative in the context of the OAS, which has strengthened even more so this reciprocal review mechanism. For more information, please visit the Anti-Corruption Portal of the Americas.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

 

 

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