AFRICA LOSES UP TO 60 BILLION ANNUALLY TO ILLICIT FINANCIAL FLOWS

Charperson of the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption,Daniel Batidam(L)addresses the media in Arusha last week ,looking on is the Vice Chairperson,Florence Ziyambi.Photo by Filbert Rweyemamu

 Africa loses up to $60 billion annually to Illiciti Financial Flows (IFF), the African Union (AU) Advisory Board on Corruption said at its 18th meeting which wound at Duluti Hall at Arusha International Conference Centre .

The AU Advisory Board on Corruption created on May 26, 2009, is an autonomous organ established within Article 22 of the union Convention on Prevention and Combating Corruption.

It has the mandate of promoting and encouraging adoption of measures and actions by state parties to prevent, detect, punish, and eradicate corruption and related offenses as well as follow-up on application of those measures on the continent.

In a communiqué read by its chairman Daniel Batidam, the board said corrupt practices plaid a key role in facilitating the illicit outflows with a considerable detrimental impact on Africa’s development and governance.

“The board calls upon African governments to curtail IFFs through adoption and implementation of the recommendations stipulated in the Mbeki Report, 2015 (Report on the High level Panel on IFFs),” he said.

The board said it was also concerned with an emerging trend of extending presidential tenures beyond prescribed constitutional term limits.

“Ineterfering with constitutional term limits creates conducive opportunity for the perpetuation of political corruption,” Batidam said.

He noted that corruption led to conflicts and breakdown of law and order, derogation of the rule of law and constitutionalism, and thereby compromising socioeconomic development.

Batidam said some corrupt public officials, especially in the defence and security sectors, exploited and abused the confidentiality privileges attached to the procurement of security equipment.

"The advisory board recommends greater transparency and accountability in the procurement of security-related equipment," he said.

Batidam said there was a steady increase in corrupt practices within the judiciary arm of government, citing 34 judges implicated in the vice in Ghana alone.

"The board encourages the government of Ghana to take robust steps to ensure justice and fair play is delivered," said Batidam, recommending a regular review of integrity systems in the judiciary and establishment of a mechanism for the regular vetting of judiciary officials.

Batidam said the board commended Kenya for putting in place a transparent legal mechanism for vetting of judges and magistrates, resulting in the removal of a significant number of judges and magistrates whose integrity was found to be wanting, an initiative which enhanced public confidence in the judiciary in the country.