Corruption is a vice that impacts all areas of society. One area where the gravity of corruption is especially detrimental is when it permeates justice and accountability mechanisms. This can distort the application of the principle of the rule of law and give rise to impunity. It can also contribute to eroding public trust, create a culture of lack of accountability and weaken confidence in public institutions especially those that are meant to administer justice. It further impedes the capacity of judicial systems to guarantee the protection of human rights, creates uncertainty in the application of the law and affects responsibilities and duties of all those involved in the administration of justice.

In response to this challenge, there has been a number of measures to ensure that corruption is abetted in the administration of justice. Thus, some states have engaged in a number of reforms such as establishing courts specializing in economic and financial crimes while others have adopted processes to determine economic and financial crime cases. Other reforms have included the establishment of integrity committees, specialized ombudspersons and help desks to deal with reported instances of corruption, hotlines to respond to incidences of corruption as well as implementation of information, communication and technology tools to speed up judicial processes, enhance accountability and facilitate transparency.

At the international level, regional and global networks have been formed to enhance accountability in the administration of justice and foster exchange of best practices with a view to mitigate the effects of corruption in the justice system. While these efforts have been welcome, a number of challenges still exist to effectively ensure corruption can be controlled in the justice system. These include:-

1. Anti-corruption measures have largely been sectoral in nature and have not focused on the wider administration of justice chain;
2. The perceptions about insufficient coordination between investigative, prosecutorial and judicial arms that create inefficiency and delays in dealing with anti-corruption incidences;
3. Perceived challenges in dealing with high level corruption within agencies mandated to dispense justice;
4. Perceptions about difficulties in dealing with political and grand corruption cases;
5. Perceived delays in the finalization of corruption cases;
6. Proportionality and enforcement of sentences; and
7. Slow uptake in utilization of information, communication and technology tools across the administration of justice chain.

1. Convene stakeholders to brainstorm the topic;
2. Identify challenges and bottlenecks in efficient and effective handling of corruption cases in the administration of justice chain;
3. Identify regional and international best practices to fight corruption through efficient and effective judicial systems; and
4. Develop recommendations / strategies to inform stakeholders.

1. Bolster relationships between investigative, prosecutorial and judicial bodies in the fight against corruption
2. Policy briefs; and
3. Recommendations and strategies to be submitted to policy organs of the African Union and relevant stakeholders.

The Dialogue shall be conducted through keynote and paper presentations, plenary discussions, panel discussions and working groups. The Board shall also administer a questionnaire to National Anti-Corruption Agencies on the topic and analysis of the responses will be conducted in advance of the Dialogue to identify country experiences to be highlighted.

The second African Anti-Corruption Non-State Actors Forum shall also be convened on the margins of the Dialogue. Simultaneous interpretation shall be provided in Arabic, English, French and Portuguese. The Dialogue is a paperless activity and delegates are encouraged to use digital resources or make individual arrangements for printed conference materials.

The Dialogue will engage and reflect on the latest developments through shared reflection and participation. It will bring together representatives of Member States, International Organizations, National Anti-Corruption Agencies, Judiciaries, Investigative and Prosecutorial bodies, Civil Society, Academia and other actors including engaging the citizenry.

The Dialogue will serve as a platform to develop policy recommendations for consideration by the policy organs of the African Union and other relevant actors.

The African Anti-Corruption Dialogue 2020 organizing Committee will ensure participants successfully and seamlessly register online for the three-day meeting. The Agenda programme is available here

Registration is now open. Participants should use the link below to register.

02 November 2020:
Meeting on “Enhancing Transparency and Accountability in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic”
Registration link- https://zoom.us/j/96224922742
ID: 962 2492 2742 (No Passcode)

03 November 2020:
Meeting on “Fighting corruption through Effective and Efficient Judicial Systems.”
Registration link- https://zoom.us/j/96829519277
ID: 968 2951 9277 (No Passcode)

04 November 2020:
The Non-State Actors Forum
Registration link- https://zoom.us/j/99943851065
ID: 999 4385 1065 (No Passcode)

04 November 2020:
Reflection on the State of Ant-Corruption in Africa.
(This is a closed session. Registration link will be shared with the participants.)

• African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption
• Governance Treaties
• Assembly Special Declaration on Illicit Financial Flows
• 2018 as the African Anti-Corruption Year
• Nouakchott Declaration on the African Anti-Corruption Year
• The draft Common African Position on Asset Recovery

The African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC) was adopted in Maputo, Mozambique on 11 July 2003 and came into force in 2006. To date, the Convention has been ratified by 44 Member States of the African Union. Since adoption of the Convention, African states have made significant strides in the fight against corruption including the enactment of national laws and the creation of anti-corruption agencies. In recognition of the vast progress that has been made and cognizant of the need to continually reflect on approaches to end corruption, the African Union designated 11 July as the African Anti-Corruption Day.

The 2020 African Anti-Corruption Day on the 11th of July was held under the theme “Fighting Corruption through Effective and Efficient Judicial Systems.” The day served as a basis for all anti-corruption stakeholders to reflect and dialogue on the role of national justice systems in promoting the anti-corruption agenda. The reflections facilitated the identification and dissemination of the challenges, good practices that an effectiveness of the justice system brings in fighting corruption. An effective justice system is crucial in the fight against corruption hence the need to identify the challenges and constraints that exist in the anti-corruption chain while learning from the best practices in order to recommend effective ways for stronger collaboration.

Further inquiries should be directed to:
Submit your request to auabcregistry@africa-union.org or info@auanticorruption.org
Ms. Doreen Apollos: Information and Communication Directorate: ApollosD@africa-union.org