This archive report was first published on 13 November 2019.
On November 13, 2019, a proposed amendment to the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act (Aceca) was introduced to the National Assembly, aiming to hold individuals accountable for misappropriating public funds.
Moiben MP Silas Tiren proposed the amendment, which seeks to make individuals involved in the misappropriation of public funds personally liable.
The amendment targets managers, chief executive officers, and directors of public institutions, and seeks to bar anyone convicted of an offence committed under the Act from holding any public office.
Those convicted of corruption or economic crimes will be disqualified from seeking political seats or appointment into public offices for 10 years immediately after conviction.
According to the bill, a person convicted of an offence of corruption or economic crime and involved in the management of a public company, institution, or State organ that suffered pecuniary loss as a result of the corruption shall be personally liable for such loss.
Currently, those who occasion or oversee the loss of public funds are cushioned from individual responsibility under the doctrine of collective responsibility in government offices.
The bill has already undergone first reading in the National Assembly and, if passed, will be a significant boost to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption (EACC), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in fighting rampant corruption within the public service.
