Corruption is widespread in the Andean nation of 30 million people - ranked 83 out of 176 countries by Transparency last year for the perception of public sector corruption
BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Peru is considering a series of anti-corruption bills which could see among other measures more elected officials and civil servants prosecuted for graft and bank secrecy protection lifted, Transparency International (TI) has said.
Corruption is widespread in the Andean nation of 30 million people - ranked 83 out of 176 countries by Transparency last year for the perception of public sector corruption, with one being the least corrupt.
In a sign the country is casting its net wider in efforts to combat graft, Peru's congress passed a bill earlier this month that paves the way for civil servants, elected officials and employees of government-run companies to be charged with corruption, even if those incidents occurred before they took public office.
"It's important because we have seen in the past congressmen and women getting (irregular) procurement contracts during the two to three month period between when they get elected and before taking office," said Samuel Rotta, deputy director of Proetica, the national chapter of Transparency International in Peru.
He said the latest law that was passed is part of 20 bills up for debate in Peru's congress, put forward by a national anti-graft commission, known as CAN, which was set up earlier this year to create and monitor anti-corruption policy.
There is no timetable or formal deadline to debate the bills but so far three out of the 20 bills have been approved by Congress, Rotta told Thomson Reuters Foundation in a telephone interview from Lima. "This is important but certainly it’s not enough. Implementation of laws in Peru, like in the rest of Latin America, is a problem," he added.
COMBATING MONEY LAUNDERING
One of the bills up for debate in Peru's congress seeks to lift bank secrecy protection as part of efforts to clamp down on money laundering, mostly linked to drug trafficking and organised crime, Rotta said.
Peru is one of the world's leading producers of coca, the raw ingredient used to make cocaine.
Another bill being considered is a law that would make it mandatory for all civil servants to declare any personal interests, such as being a company board member.
"This law would make it obligatory to declare such interests in an asset declaration. That's important (to guard) against conflict of interests, which we've seen happen many times in the past in Peru," Rotta said.
The misuse of public funds and irregularities in the awarding of public works contracts remain key challenges, particularly at the local government level, he said.
"There are 2,000 municipalities in Peru. We have a big problem related to how they spend their money on public works and procurement and also the recruitment process of public servants," Rotta said.
Peru is no stranger to political corruption at the highest levels. Its former president Alberto Fujimori, 74, is serving a 25-year prison sentence for corruption and human rights abuses stemming from his 1990-2000 rule. His former intelligence chief Vladimiro Montesinos is also in jail for abuse of power and embezzlement.
"Each week a new corruption scandal appears," Rotta said. "Corruption is a very high priority problem for people in Peru. After public security and safety, our surveys have shown that corruption is the second most important problem for people. This has been the case for the last five to six years."
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