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Cambodia parliament passes controversial anti-corruption bill

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The Cambodian parliament passed a controversial anti-corruption bill Wednesday meant to further transparency in government while opposition parties staged a walkout, saying the new law would stifle criticism and foster corruption. The law will create a national anti-corruption council to oversee investigators, but critics have said that the lack of independence from the government is troubling. Members of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) and foreign NGOs criticized the law because it could potentially punish whistle blowers with prison terms, and does not require government officials and their spouses to disclose their assets. The UN mission in Cambodia released a statement tentatively supporting the bill but calling on the government to allow more time for public debate. Transparency International (TI) has criticized Cambodian corruption, and the country is ranked near the top of the list of most corrupt countries in the world. Last year, the UN cut off funding for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, a court set up to prosecute Khmer Rouge officials, after it was accused of corruption through a kick-back scheme. The UN and Cambodian officials later failed to reach an agreement on a system to monitor corruption and the court had to rely on international donations to make up for the shortfall.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on March 11, 2010 (boomark / email).