THE controversial Anti-Corruption Bill (ACB) 2017 has reached 24 of the 70 clauses in the committee of supply in Parliament, Monday.
Prime Minister, Rick Hou, tabled the Bill for second reading in Parliament last Thursday.
However, the Bill had experienced three adjournments due to lack of quorums by Members of Parliament.
Member of Parliament for Aoke Langalanga, Matthew Wale held the flow of the meeting after he scrutinized the Bill to its fullest.
Wale argued that there should be a lot of amendments made to the Bill to strengthen it.
He said if no amendments is done on the Bill, it will weaken it.
However, PM Hou said amendments can be done after the passage of the Bill.
He said it is good to allow the flow of the committee of supply without delaying it.
The object of the Anti-Corruption Bill is to give legislative effect to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) by:
•Creating new corruption offences to capture the full range of corrupt practices that may occur within the public sector or in the interaction between the public and private sectors.
• Providing for the investigation and prosecution of corruption offences;
• Establishing the Solomon islands independent commission against corruption; and
• Introducing a wide range of measures to prevent corruption, including a national
Anti-Corruption Strategy, public awareness activities about the effects and prevention of corruption, and assistance too public and private bodies in the prevention of corruption.
The reasons for the Bill are that:
• Corruption in Solomon Islands appear to be widespread;
• Corruption undermine development and sustain poverty, inhibits economic growth, drives politic instability, enable the unsustainable use of natural resources, impact the delivery of service and undermines good governance and the rule of law.
The Parliament meeting continued today.
