Ramallah – The Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN) called on the Council of Ministers to nominate a new chair of the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) as the term of office of the PACC Chair ends on 8 March 2019. With the end of the current term, appointment of a new PACC Chair becomes a compelling legal requirement under Article 5 of the Amended Anti-Corruption Law of 2018.
In a letter he sent to the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr. Abed Al Qader Al Husseni, Chairman of AMAN’s Board of Director, drew attention to important legal requirements and criteria for holding the sensitive and critical office of the PACC Chair. These standards are laid out by the 2018 Amended Anti-Corruption Law. AMAN also stressed the need for compliance with all the conditions and criteria set by Article 9 of the Amended Law for appointing a new PACC Chair. In particular, impartiality and independence mean that any unprofessional considerations, including partisan affiliation, should be avoided in the appointment process. Another condition is fulltime employment. In reference of Article 9 of the Amended Law, the PACC Chair may not combine his office at the PACC with membership on a board of directors of a governmental or nongovernmental corporation, institution, or authority.
This call is a follow up on the Jerusalem Statement, signed in late November 2018. Believing in the heavy responsibility and social trust, participants in the Jerusalem Statement initiative launched a campaign to act against corruption and injustice in Palestine. All civil society activists, organisations and coalitions; national, Islamic and parliamentary parties; Independent Commission for Human Rights; academicians, juridical persons; and independent figures unanimously agreed to wage a full-scale war on corruption. A first step would be to develop a comprehensive national and cross-cutting plan to fight corruption.
