The massive improvement in the UAE’s perception as a largely corruption-free country didn’t come about overnight -- 10 years ago the UAE was ranked at No. 37 in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2003, lagging its GCC peers Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.
The UAE's zero-tolerance approach to crimes of corruption and bribery has paid rich dividends with the country being ranked as the least corrupt Arab country in the annual Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International.
The 2013 index ranks the UAE at No. 26 globally out of total 177 countries surveyed, ahead of a number of developed countries. According to 999 Magazine’s latest edition, this year’s rankings confirm that the UAE remains a guiding light and a model of anti-corruption in a region that, according to the magazine, has a lot of catching up to do in terms of keeping the lid on corruption and bribery.
With the aim of spreading awareness among the public regarding corruption, the magazine's January edition opens the file of bribery crimes in the UAE and looks at the steps taken to fight the scourge. The magazine highlights the International agreements that the UAE has ratified as part of its deep belief in the significance of developing a legal international mechanism to criminalise the acts of corruption.
Ahmed Abdullah Al Hammadi, Chief of Public Funds Prosecution, told the magazine that the number of bribery cases registered in all federal courts between 2012 and 2013 was just 47, which is a direct consequence of the high level of cooperation between public prosecution, courts and police in the UAE.
“I would like to urge the public to take the initiative if any public official asks them for a bribe of any kind, by filing a complaint against him with the competent authorities, be they public prosecution or police.
The role of the public is indispensable in fighting all shapes of corruption, and I would like in this context to praise the conscious public who never accepts or forgives such devious acts,” Al Hammadi said.
Lt. Colonel Awadh Saleh Al Kindi, editor-in-chief of the magazine, said: “Government administration in the UAE has taken conscious steps (which are) generally efficient and transparent, and there are enough checks on private institutions as well.
“Even as the UAE’s laws against corruption and bribery are extremely strong and clear, the presence of people from so many different countries, where bribery may be seen as a legitimate way of doing business, means that it becomes all the more necessary for the authorities to keep a keen eye out for any underhand corporate practices,” he added.
The massive improvement in the UAE’s perception as a largely corruption-free country didn’t come about overnight -- 10 years ago the UAE was ranked at No. 37 in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2003, lagging its GCC peers Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, which were ranked above the UAE.
However, thanks to the resolute efforts of the Ministry of Interior, as well as the financial and administrative monitoring bodies, in addition to the country’s judiciary, the country has consistently improved its ranking and scores over the years, and emerged as the least corrupt Arab country in CPI 2013.
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