Somalia ups war on graft as President assents to anti-corruption bill

A legislation seeking to anchor into law the war against corruption in Somalia came took effect Saturday following the President’s assent.

President Farmaajo signed into law the Anti-Corruption Law today after its passage in December by the Upper House.

The Lower House approved the Bill in November a year after it was tabled for the first reading.

The passage of the law is a crucial step in tackling corruption in Somalia which has been ranked for ten consecutive years by the watchdog Transparency International as the most corrupt country in the world.

The TI index factors in the presence or absence of institutions tasked with fighting corruption as indicators of assessment.

The Independent Anti-Corruption Commission Act among others creates the Anti-Corruption Commission made up of nine members.

Three of the members should be female while the fourth member must be from the special needs community.

Implementation of the law remains the second most hurdle in the war against corruption which will require fully functional courts to ensure the effective prosecution of corruption cases.