Chamber to Work with Attorney General on Road to Signing Anti-Corruption Convention

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption is yet to be endorsed by the Government of Belize.  Despite the Barrow Administration not having signed on to the agreement, UNCAC, as it is otherwise known, remains a key feature in the Chamber’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign.  ‘Break the Corruption Chain’ was officially launched on September third to coincide with the Chamber’s annual expo.  According to Nikita Usher, the organization will form a committee that will be working closely with the Attorney General’s ministry to put together a timeline.

On the Phone: Nikita Usher, President, BCCI

“It’s a campaign and I would not want to say flog a dead horse but if you look at our manifesto, sustainable agenda that was issued to all political parties just prior to elections, signing on to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption has been a part of our manifesto from way back and it’s been decades old.  In this regard we are pushing at government to look at it, we’ve been meeting with government to look at the PAC because we don’t feel like the PAC is as functional as it should right now, as a matter of fact it doesn’t even work as it should.  So those are some of the issues that we have been championing.  With respect to the one on the United Nations Convention on Anti-corruption, we launched our campaign officially at the Expo.  We have written to the PM and you have heard the PM’s press conference where he has committed to sign on to it; however we at the Chamber have had to look at a committee that would be working with their AG Ministry to try and look at timelines involved.  The signing is going to come of course but there is ramifications that come behind and some timelines that have to be inclusive and so that is the working committee that we are referring to that is working with the AG’s Ministry on that matter.”