Parliamentary Integrity: Auditing contracts and projects before their implementation protects public funds from corruption.
Member of the Parliamentary Integrity Committee, Ahmed Shaheed, affirmed on Thursday that combating corruption requires a shift from reactive measures to preventative ones. This includes auditing contracts and monitoring projects before and during their implementation to ensure the preservation of public funds. He also noted the importance of recent government directives in this regard.
Shaheed told the Information Agency that “project monitoring should encompass both governorates and ministries, with oversight levels commensurate with the project’s size and cost, especially for projects with large financial allocations, as these represent a priority in oversight work.”
He added that “curbing corruption requires activating the law rewarding whistleblowers who report corruption cases, strengthening oversight at border crossings, and pursuing corruption cases and exposing those involved within the legal framework.” He emphasized “the necessity of cooperation among all oversight and executive institutions.”
He further highlighted “the importance of monthly and quarterly reports on anti-corruption efforts, as they contribute to monitoring progress rates, identifying shortcomings, and addressing deficiencies,” calling for “translating oversight measures into tangible results on the ground.”AShahid noted that “the Prime Minister stressed that the Integrity Commission represents the first line of defense against corruption,” emphasizing the necessity for its work “not to be limited to oversight but to extend to prevention, with instructions to monitor provincial projects in the same way as ministerial projects.”
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