- ACC Deputy Commissioner
December 15, 2015 By Victoria Saffa
Deputy Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Shollay Davies, has told Concord Times that the rate of corruption in the country was on the rise in the private sector.
However, Mr. Davies said no accurate data exist at present to provide indicators as to the level of corruption in the country, but noted that a recent report by Afrobarometer shows an increasing trend of corruption within the private sector, adding that the trend was worrying especially as it is prevalent in the extractive industry.
He said the ACC craves a reduction in the level of corruption in the private sector because it takes two to commit a bribery offence. “If the private sector resists the temptation of paying bribe, I am sure those in the public sector will think otherwise, but if they are coming forward with the bribes then it’s very challenging for us to combat [corruption],” he stated.
Currently, the ACC spends much of its time and resources on the public sector. But according to Davies, they would be working hard to have a private sector bill on corruption to address the issue of corruption within the sector.
The current law states that when a private sector official bribes a public official, the former will be also culpable. Davies maintained though that they want to look at a whole range of corruption issues that deal specifically with private sector officials so that they would be able to address the issue properly.