Succeeding in combating corruption in Africa:an independent and accountable judiciary of integrity is key
Combating corruption remains a priority policy issue for African governments and pan-African organizations, as evidenced in the adoption of a number of important national, regional and global anti-corruption frameworks, instruments and initiatives. The most recent initiative in this regard has been the African Union’s declaration of 2018 as the “African Anti-corruption Year”, a symbolic year for succeeding in combating corruption under the theme of the thirtieth session of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government, “Winning the fight against corruption: a sustainable path to Africa’s transformation”. The purpose of the present policy brief is to highlight the important role of the judiciary in combating corruption in Africa. It presents the theory that success or failure in combating corruption in Africa depends in large part on the independence, integrity and accountability of the judiciary and its faithfulness to the rule of law. In this regard, the brief provides three main messages. First, the judiciary is not only one of the main pillars of governance, but also is, above all, the custodian of the rule of law and the harbinger of justice and people’s rights. Second, for the judiciary to be effective in combating corruption, it not only must be incorruptible, but also must be perceived accordingly. Lastly, although the enhancement of the independence of the judiciary is paramount for its proper functioning, independence should not trump accountability; rather, judicial independence needs to be mediated by judicial accountability.
| Format: | Policy paper biblioteca |
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| Language: | eng |
| Published: |
2018
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