Lawyers warned against graft

Lawyers have been warned against abating corruption, especially in major contracts with government that normally involve huge sums of money. The call was made during a workshop in Kigali yesterday. Anita Mugeni, the Dean of Rwanda Bar Association, said corruption is a major threat to the profession, adding that there is need for appropriate measures to curb the vice. “We are informed that there are companies, institutions or individuals that tend to lure lawyers with bribes,” she said. She added that the risk of corruption among lawyers is high in international business transactions and other major deals. “For every major contract signed, there has to be lawyers on both sides. So, it would not only hurt the country financially, the impact would also extend to the general public once the lawyers involved are corrupt,” she noted. Mugeni said they will work hard to ensure that lawyers comply with professional standards. The Deputy Ombudsman in charge of preventing and fighting corruption, Clément Musangabatware, said Rwanda has achieved a lot in terms of preventing and fighting corruption, which he attributed to political will. He cited periodic wealth declaration by public officials, the National Anti-corruption Policy, the Office of the Auditor General as major tools in the fight against corruption. However, he said some people are reluctant to report corruption issues. “A recent report by Transparency Rwanda shows that only 35 per cent of Rwandans are willing to expose corruption cases,” he said. He cited public procurement, plots distribution and issuance of construction permits as well as public service among areas where corruption is most rampant. Global figures Chadia Afkir, an officer at the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said $1 trillion is paid in bribes annually and that corruption accounts for over five per cent of the global GDP. She added that corruption accounts for 10 per cent of the total cost of doing business globally, adding that some countries have lost up to 20 per cent of their internal revenues to corruption.

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Lawyers warned against graft