Officials in Burkina Faso will no longer be able to accept gifts above 60 dollars, that is gifts worth more than 35,000 CFA francs. The government just announced this yesterday in yet another move to curb the corruption that is seemingly rife in the nation especially among public officials.
Justice Minister Rene Bagoro told reporters while outlining the terms of the order which was made by the cabinet on Wednesday; "If an agent receives a present, a gift and other perks worth more than 35,000 CFA francs, it falls under the law.”
By that he referenced an anti-corruption law already adopted in 2015 which provides for a 20 year jail sentence for anyone charged with economic crimes. Under another new “appearance” decree, public officials are required to account for any apparently inexplicable increase in their standard of living. Bagoro said again; decrees were made under the anti-corruption law passed by the National Transitional Council set up after the fall of president Blaise Compaore who fled the country after a popular uprising in 2014.
The anti-corruption law criminalizes so-called appearance offences and prohibits gifts for public officials in a country where high-ranking government employees often receive donations and gifts. The new pronouncement will obviously encounter a lot of acceptance from the citizens of the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment