UNMIK/PR/1186
PRISTINA – In December last year, more than 120 governments met in Mexico to sign the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which is the first legally binding international agreement to fight corruption. Under the terms of this convention, ratifying countries have a legal obligation to criminalize an array of corrupt practices, cooperate with other governments in the fight against corruption and develop national institutions to prevent corrupt practices and to prosecute offenders.
Corruption is one of the priority concerns of the United Nations. The links between corruption and organized crime, terrorism, conflict, cronyism, anti democratic practices and poverty are now universally recognized. Preventing and combating corruption must be seen as part of an overall effort to create the foundation for democracy, development, justice and effective governance.
Now let us see how we have addressed this problem in Kosovo. Our approach has three principal facets:
- Establishing an institutional and legal framework for prevention and prosecution of corrupt practices;
- Incorporating checks against corruption in codes of conduct for public servants; and
- Developing an Anti-Corruption Strategy for Kosovo.
This last aspect of our anti-corruption measures has been already outlined by the Prime Minister, whose office has been actively involved in its development, and you will be hearing more about it during this conference. So let me briefly mention the two other areas of our fight against corruption in Kosovo.
Until recently the lack of adequate laws defining economic crimes and corruption has been the most significant impediment to the fight against corruption.
In 2002, specific initiatives were established to address the more specialized crimes of fraud and corruption. In the last two years, Police have made inroads into fighting corruption with several arrests related to malpractices in property and vehicle registration services, public housing, bribery and counterfeiting of goods.
In January 2003, the fight against corruption was expanded with the creation of the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU), staffed by 10 Officers of the Italian Guardia di Finanza, under Pillar I. The FIU has the powers to conduct financial inspections of public bodies as well as public enterprises and other organisations which receive public funds from the Kosovo Consolidated Budget (KCB), and has powers to launch criminal investigations. Their challenge is to attack financial corruption from both ends, and requires both patience and skill.
In order to enhance coordination in the administrative investigation of fraud and corruption involving public bodies, we established in November last year the Investigation Task Force (ITF). It is comprised of representatives from the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, the European Anti-Fraud Office and the Financial Investigation Unit. This Unit has a wide mandate to initiate, conduct and coordinate administrative investigations to identify fraud and corruption within UNMIK, PISG institutions, independent bodies and offices established under the Constitutional Framework, publicly owned enterprises and other entities operating with public assets.
In order to be effective, we must attack all aspects of corruption and must stop the flow of profits. Earlier this year, the SRSG promulgated the 'Regulation on deterrence of money laundering'. You know that this Regulation provides transparency in financial transactions by requiring banks, financial institutions and other bodies to complete mandatory reports which track currency transactions over a certain amount. The Financial Information Centre is in the process of being established by Pillar I and will play a major role in receiving, analysing and tracing illicit money transactions inside and outside Kosovo.
Codes of conduct for judges, prosecutors, police officers and civil servants are directed at ensuring integrity among public servants. For police, these codes of conduct are enforced by the Professional Standards Unit of the Kosovo Police Service. Judicial misconduct is investigated by the Judicial Inspection Unit in the Department of Justice.
Unfortunately, auditors and inspectors cannot alone bring success in the fight against corruption in public bodies. It requires greater public awareness of the crime and support of all institutions, political figures and the population as a whole. Progress towards democracy is ultimately contingent on individual integrity. To inculcate these values in society one must start very young, in the schools and colleges of Kosovo. Integrity must be nurtured as an essential virtue along with a sense of professional pride and personal rejection of the crime.
This is why this conference is so significant and so useful. Let me sum up what I said. UNMIK has a policy of zero tolerance towards corruption. No one is immune from investigation. And when there is evidence for a criminal case, no one is immune from prosecution.
Together with the government of Kosovo, we share the same view that corruption is a cancer for society, that it destroys it and that no effort should be spared to fight it aggressively and efficiently.
It will take time, but no one should doubt our determination.