Guinea: Integrity, Honesty, and Responsibility in Public Sector Elude Reality

Conakry - Despite the existence of a robust legal framework to promote integrity, honesty, and responsibility among public sector employees in Guinea, the implementation of these principles is woefully lacking.

Public Procurement and Management of Public Finances

A recent report by Association Guinéenne pour la Transparence highlights the stark contrast between the laws on the books and the reality on the ground. The 2017 Law on Prevention, Detection, and Repression of Corruption and Related Offenses sets out the rules and standards for public procurement, including anti-corruption mechanisms.

• Public Procurement Code: Not well-known among public sector employees
• Citizen Budget: Only available in electronic format, limiting access for those outside urban areas

Access to Information and Participation of Society

The Law on the Right of Access to Public Information defines modalities for accessing public information. However, there are no mechanisms to publish information from periodic reports on corruption risks within the public administration.

• Weak Application: The law is not applied effectively
• Withholding of Information: Public officials withhold information, presenting significant challenges to accessing information in Guinea

Anti-Money Laundering

The Law on the Fight against Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing is the legal framework regulating the fight against money laundering in Guinea. However, the roles of various players for preventing and detecting transfers of the proceeds of crime are not publicly known.

• State Secret: The information is considered a state secret

Measures to Increase Transparency and Promote Public Participation

The government has taken some measures to increase transparency and promote public participation in the fight against corruption, including the involvement of civil society and the media in citizen monitoring of public action. However, these efforts are limited by the lack of promotion of agents as provided for in the Law on the General Status of Civil Servants.

• Involvement of Civil Society and Media: The government has taken steps to involve civil society and the media
• Limited Promotion of Agents: The law is not applied effectively, limiting public participation

Key Recommendations

To address the shortcomings, Association Guinéenne pour la Transparence recommends that the Guinean authorities:

1. Lead an assessment of Guinea’s implementation of Chapters II and V of the UNCAC
2. Promote stakeholder inclusion in the country evaluation process
3. Develop and update tools for combating corruption and its consequences
4. Clean up the civil service to reduce the number of phantom workers or civil servants who should be retired but have not yet left their position
5. Strengthen the powers and independence of law enforcement agencies

Without concrete measures to address these issues, Guinea will continue to struggle with integrity, honesty, and responsibility among public sector employees.