The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) should be fully operational by the end of 2022.
Chairman of ICAC Thomas Eluh made this assurance in a press conference in Port Moresby on Thursday.
Taking into account the challenges the country is going through, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the National General Elections in 2022, ICAC interim chairman, Thomas Eluh, is confident that the ICAC office will be fully operational by the end of 2022.
He clarified that the Organic Law on ICAC is not designed to take away powers from existing law enforcement agencies like the Ombudsman Commission and others, but is designed to cooperate and work harmoniously with these existing law enforcement agencies to address corruption in the country.
“In my view, the efforts under the existing laws to fight corruption is largely scattered, uncoordinated and inadequate. A permanent constitutional institution charged with fighting corruption at all levels of the community and in all its forms and substance has been lacking. Thus, it is only fitting that ICAC fills a vacuum in the existing laws relating to fighting corruption.”
Eluh went on and pointed out that the difference lies in ICAC’s unique role as a central hub, serving as a coordinating point in driving prevention measures and investigating (and prosecuting) all offences that involves the element of corruption in conjunction with other relevant agencies.
Having said that, the OLICAC provides for the ICAC to part take in and form committees and administrative taskforces with other bodies, both nationally and internationally, including the power to bring into ICAC people with relevant qualifications on secondment to assist ICAC in their investigation, prosecution or other functions to fulfill its mandate.
The recent example is that the Government appointed the ICAC as a lead agency in the multiagency taskforce to investigate the affairs of the National Airports Corporation (NAC), which is still in progress.
Apart from that, Eluh clarified that the Interim ICAC Office has received some complaints, however due to our lack of capacity, they have referred those complaints to other relevant agencies particularly the Police to investigate and take appropriate action.
He added that importantly, in order for ICAC to be effective, it must:
- Be independent from the executive government;
- Be well resourced;
- Have strong whistleblower protections;
- Have strong investigative powers;
- Have strong accountability framework; and
- Cooperate effectively with other agencies.