AG welcomes CPI score

ATTORNEY General Faris Al-Rawi yesterday welcomed Transparency International’s 2017 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) of 41. In a statement, Al-Rawi said this was the highest score achieved by TT, since the CPI’s current scoring system was introduced in 2012. He noted the score was drawn from six out of 13 data sources from 12 independent institutions specialising in governance and business climate analysis, collated over the period 2016 to 2017.

Al-Rawi said the score is reflective of the Government’s legislative agenda and operational focus, “driven by an understanding of the catalytic effect corruption has on facilitating criminality (including white-collar crime), terrorism, deterring foreign investment and stifling the growth of the economy. Al-Rawi acknowledged more work needs to be done to continue this upward tend in CPI ratings.

He said this will be reflected in Government pressing forward with the “Follow-the-Money” Legislative Package; Criminal Justice reforms; strengthening our Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism legislation and effectiveness regime; new Revenue Authority and National Statistics structures and measure and with the operationalisation of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act.

Nations with CPI scores close to 100 are perceived as less corrupt. Countries with scores closer to zero are viewed as more corrupt. After the launch of the 2017 CPI at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business in Mt Hope, Police Complaints Authority (PCA) Director David West attributed progress in the CPI score partly to the legislation which Al-Rawi has, “brought to the criminal justice arena.”

However West agreed with former Independent senator Helen Drayton about the need to review the status of entities such as the Integrity Commission and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) as solely monitoring and reporting agencies. West believed there is a need for an anti-corruption agency in TT, similar to one in Jamaica, that can, “investigate and prosecute for corrupt practices of public officials.”

Referring to the FIU’s 2017 Annual Report where 877 suspicious transactions were detected valued at $22 billion, Drayton said anti-money laundering and combatting financial terrorism laws create an opportunity for transparency in financial transactions. However she added that front line agencies such as the FIU, Integrity Commission and the PCA, “cannot prosecute cases.”

Former Joint Consultative Council of the Construction Industry president Afra Raymond welcomed TT’s improvement in the CPI. However Raymond agreed more could be done to ensure that entities such as the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the new Public Procurement Board are more accountable to the public.

British High Commissioner to TT, Tim Stew, said critical thinking and leadership at all levels is necessary to combat corruption. Stew noted Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s commitment to fighting corruption, shortly after assuming office in September 2015. Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal said while corruption “is off the front pages,” the 2017 CPI score shows Government is still failing on this issue. “I am not surprised. The country is drowning in blood, the economy has collapsed,” Moonilal said.

Energy Chamber CEO Dr Thackwray Driver said more should be done to support civil society groups and NGOs which deal with corruption issues.

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