WB prepares 4-point anti-corruption plan to Yemen's government

The World Bank (WB) country manager to Yemen on Tuesday revealed that the bank has prepared a four-point plan to combat corruption and submitted to the government, which will refer it to the Parliament for approval. The first point is the government's adherence to accomplish concrete steps to punish the corruption perpetrators, Wael Zakout said in a lecture delivered at Sana'a University on the post-transition priorities in Yemen. He pointed to a governmental failure in this regard, especially with the continued prevention by the law from questioning senior officials. The plan focused on the reduction of double employment and taking legal action against civil servants who are found guilty in corruption cases, Zakout said, adding "but they are still exercising their duties." It also underscored the principle of transparency on government's resources of oil and gas and other revenues, he said. The WB plan to the government stressed the importance of ensuring the independence of the Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption (SNACC) and establishing an anti-corruption court," this has not happened yet," he said. The plan is approved 8 months ago, and nothing was carried out but the anti-corruption court, while judges or task mechanism was not determined yet, Zakout said. He pinned hopes that policy does not interfere in the formation of SNACC or its court, saying that the continued stoppage of SNACC allows the doubt in the government's ability and determination to fight corruption.