Africa is mulling the establishment of the first International Anti-Corruption Court on the continent to impeach leaders, politicians and other government officials that have been robbing wealth from their respective countries.
“But the envisaged International Anti-Corruption Tribunal will not just deal with corrupt African leaders, but also prosecute their foreign accomplices working or living overseas,” explained the Executive Secretary for the African Union Advisory Board against Corruption, Charity Nchimunya.
According to Ms Nchimunya, the African Union Advisory Board against Corruption has been receiving briefings from the parties and people who are pushing for the IACC agenda.
The board discussed the issue during its 45th Ordinary Session that has just wound up at the Arusha International Conference Center (AICC) in Arusha.
The AUABC Executive Secretary said the proposed International Anti-Corruption Court will be quite different from the International Criminal Court (ICC) of The Hague.
“The envisaged IACC will specifically deal with major graft cases especially matters that involve big and influential persons and those being protected by governments who enjoy immunity and those that cannot be tried in their own country,” explained Ms Nchimunya.
Among the meeting agendas, the Board also took key interest in pioneering the Common African Position on Asset Recovery (CAPAR) working to recover all assets, including cash and minerals that were stolen from the continent by corrupt leaders and concealed overseas.
This is being undertaken in collaboration with other key stakeholders in the fight against Corruption.
Earlier, the Chairperson of the AUABC Seynabou Ndiaye Diakhate revealed that the board has already set proper guidelines for the recovery of illicit acquired assets from the African Continent, that were smuggled abroad by leaders, their relatives or accomplices and other influential people in the member countries.
The African Union Advisory Board against Corruption (AUABC) is an autonomous organ established within the African Union, in terms of Article 22 the Convention.
Until now, a total of 48 countries on the continent have so far ratified the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.
Five other states, including Eswatini, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti and South-Sudan have signed but not ratified the convention.
The remaining two, that are Cape Verde and Central Africa, on the other hand have neither signed nor ratified the convention.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.