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Panama Receives On-Site Visit of the OAS Anti-Corruption Mechanism

A commission from the Anti-Corruption Mechanism of the Organization of American States (OAS), paid a visit to Panama on April 17 - 19, 2013, as part of the review process of said mechanism, carried out in accordance with the methodology adopted by consensus by its Member States.

The Commission of the Mechanism for Follow-Up on the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC) was composed of the Vice-Minister of Fight against Corruption of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Jessica Saravia Atristain; the Head of the Legal Affairs Unit of the Ministry of Transparency and Fight against Corruption, Alexandra Miranda Miranda; and the transparency professional of the Bolivian government, Marcia Gabriela Fernández Willer; as well as the Legal Advisor to the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago, Joan Ramnarine-Furlonge, who were supported by General Secretariat of the OAS in the visit which took place with Panama’s consent.

During three days, the members of the Commission met with representatives of the Public Prosecution Service, the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic, the Court of Accounts, the judiciary and the Executive Secretariat of the National Council of Transparency against Corruption, among others, in order to obtain objective and complete information and reveal potential difficulties in the implementation of the Inter-American Convention. The meetings also provided an opportunity to facilitate the obtaining of information related to best practices, and provided Panama the opportunity to benefit from or to request technical assistance.

Likewise, the Commission had the opportunity to meet with civil society organizations, private sector organizations, professional associations, academics and researchers, in order to address issues related to the challenges facing the investigation, prosecution, and punishment of acts of corruption in Panama; civil society’s views on the role of oversight bodies in Panama; conflict of interests; sworn statements of assets and liabilities; as well as access to public information.

The results of this visit form part of the review process that is currently being carried out by the Committee of Experts of the MESICIC, and which will conclude with the adoption of the Panama country report by the Committee at its next plenary meeting to be held in September 2013, at OAS headquarters in Washington DC.

The MESICIC is a cooperation mechanism between States, with the participation of civil society organizations, established within the framework of the OAS, in which the legal-institutional framework of each country is reviewed for suitability with the Inter-American Convention against Corruption as well as the objective results achieved therein. The incorporation of on-site visits as a stage and integral part of the MESICIC review process represents an innovative and pioneering initiative in the context of the OAS, especially for a peer review mechanism and the importance of the issues it addresses.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-157/13