News: Premier establishes National Committee to lead anti-corruption campaign

Addis Abeba: Prime Minister Abiy has announced the establishment of a national anti-corruption committee to coordinate the government’s campaign against corruption, identify actors in addition to those identified in a study, and bring them to justice.

Security head Temesgen Tiruneh, Attorney general Gideon Timoteos (PhD), Customs commissioner Debele Kabeta, Information Network Security Agency head Solomon Soka, Samuel Urkato (PhD), Abduhamid Mohamed and Teklewold Atna are the seven member of the national committee.

This comes following the PM’s remark in the parliament where he criticized government officials including Judges to be main actors in a widespread corruption.

In a statement announcing the establishment of the committee, Prime Minister Abiy said,  “corruption is a pest that eats a country from the inside and depletes its resources by consuming it day and night. When corrupted authorities, greedy brokers and investors come together having large number of citizens lined up behind them, corruption becomes an epidemic to a country.”

The statement said a study is being carried out investigating government officials, public servants, bribers and recipients. However given the fact that corruption is sometimes carried out in a sophisticated manner using technologies and under the guise of legality, extra action is needed according to the statement.

Thus, “to uproot corruption from its roots, in addition to legal and operational reforms, an action that makes corrupts hate corruption is needed,” the statement adds.

The statement also said that corrupt individuals including those in the government used the fact that the government is focused on the war in northern part of the country and the Corona pandemic, to spread their networks everywhere.

It is said that the actions of the national committee and measures taken accordingly will be announced regularly to the public. Adding that regional governments will soon follow suit and establish regional committees.

The Prime Minister also called on the public to take an active role in the campaign against corruption by exposing corrupts to the National Committee without resentment or retaliation. AS