Brunei Property: 2009

Friday, November 20, 2009

Govt Officials Will Be Required To State Assets

Last Updated on Friday, 20 November 2009 06:30 Written by Izam Said Ya'akub Friday, 20 November 2009 05:11

Bandar Seri Begawan - Government officials will be required to declare their assets next year as the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is stepping up the levels of transparency in Brunei.

The action, being practised abroad, will mark the initial step of asset tracing in Brunei and to further the bureau's efforts to stamp out corruption.

Speaking to The Brunei Times, senior officials from the ACB said work was still to be done but they were optimistic that the result would be another step towards eradicating graft in the country.

Brunei already has the bask foundation of the law, but the implementation requires time said Chief Special Investigator Wee Ken Teck. "Asset declaration is something in the pipeline, we are hoping that we can have it done by next year," said Wee.

The senior official highlighted that under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), the first legally binding international anti-corruption instrument adopted in 2003, stated that "assistance is available between countries and between state parties which help in tracing assets which are deemed to be the fruit of crime". The UN convention also emphasised that "each country would assist each other to enable victimised countries to have access to illegal gains, to be surrendered back to the country of origin".

It is something that the ACB would be pursuing intently, with cooperation with other countries ongoing, said Wee. Public servants will be required to declare their assets in order to provide transparency, prove that they are "clean".

The ACB said that this would ensure them was nothing untoward "that can be hidden with regard to any suspicions that they (government officials) are gaining some properties, assets or money which are from corrupt means".

Elaborating on the intended procedures that public servants will face once the new regulation is in place, Wee said that the declaration would be detailed. "They are required to fill the forms every year, for example I have so much property, I bought this in a legitimate way which I acquired through legitimate means and by no means corrupt."The senior official added that the new move would help enhance the public perception of government officials, and receive the full backing of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). "We are thankful that the PMO is supporting us and in due course, public declaration will be something that we can implement in Brunei," said Wee.
With the officials being transparent with their lifestyle this will put them "beyond reproach, without suspicions and they've enriched themselves because of their public office," he added.

The ACB is also looking to provide two good practice papers to be handed out next year, which will address the specifics on sponsorship and gifts. The issues of sponsorship include criteria on who are actually allowed to sponsor government projects. The paper on gifts will focus on the principles behind whether or not government officials can receive gifts.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Source: Here