Cyprus has taken a step in the right direction as regards corruption and after four compliance reports and five years, it has now implemented many of Greco’s recommendations, the organisation’s annual report said.
Greco, the Group of States Against Corruption, published its Seventeenth General Activity Report (2016) and it says amongst other things, that “there are many success stories and one of them is the case of Cyprus”.
Concerning political financing in particular, the report said transparency has been enhanced in the system of political financing in Cyprus.
The new obligation for political parties and election candidates to draft and submit specific reports relating to election campaigns is a very positive step, as is the involvement of the auditor-general in the monitoring.
“While a few shortcomings remain, over time, Cyprus has achieved very positive results and the current level of implementation of the recommendations is no longer “globally unsatisfactory” and nearing full compliance” the report says.
A press release issued on Thursday, following the publication of the annual report, said Greco has called on European governments, parliaments, and judicial governing bodies to step up their efforts to create more effective preventive mechanisms against corruption.
The report provides a review of Greco`s 49 member states’ action against corruption in 2016, and points out that countries too often over-rely on the repressive aspects of fighting corruption and underestimate the effectiveness of preventive mechanisms, which often do not exist or are too weak.
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said corruption is a major source of dissatisfaction and loss of trust in politics and democratic institutions, pointing out that it is crucial that states have the right legislation and resources not only to investigate and punish corruption offences, but also to prevent them.
“There can be no tolerance for corruption, wherever it occurs,” he said, adding that in the report, “Greco expresses concern about the slowing down in the implementation of its recommendations concerning the transparency of political party funding and the prevention of corruption in respect of parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors.”
Greco’s Chair, Marin Mrčela said many countries are facing difficulties to comply with Greco recommendations and this is partly due to the complexity of the issues evaluated and to the need for strong political consensus to implement many recommendations.
“Political leaders should show unwavering political will and lead by example to combat corruption and create a culture of integrity,” he said.
