AMMAN — Jordan’s
Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission has thus far granted protection to 43 people who
have provided useful and important information regarding corruption crimes.
اضافة اعلان
The commission, through providing this
protection, is sending a message all Jordanians to report any suspicions of
corruption or abuse of public money, as “everyone is a partner in combatting
corruption in this country”, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.
Protection systemThrough a review of the commission’s
protection system and annual reports from the last three years, Petra observed that
the commission’s protection of whistleblowers and witnesses is not random, but
in accordance with a carefully studied scientific and legal methodology.
Combatting corrupt practices is an integral responsibility and… citizens are an essential partner in eradicating corruption by standing against it and reporting it
In the commission’s system, requests for
protection are treated in strict confidentiality, whereby the president refers
all requests for protection to the commission’s Protection Unit for examination
and to provide a recommendation for acceptance or rejection, reinforced by
documents, information, evidence, a protection plan, and necessary costs. The commission’s
board then makes a decision to approve or reject the application.
Types of protectionAccording to Article 26 of the Integrity
and Anti-Corruption Law, anyone who discloses information regarding the
identity or whereabouts of a whistleblower, witness, or informant shall be
liable to a term of up to six months' imprisonment and a fine of up to
JD10,000.
The commission offers protection in
cooperation with the Public Security Directorate and related bodies. This could
take the form of concealing the name and other personal data of the informant,
safeguarding information related to their identity and affiliations, changing
and monitoring telephone numbers, and changing their place of residence or
place of work.
It also includes procedures for transferring
individuals to and from their places of residence, protecting their homes from
any assault, providing emergency contacts, and offering compensation for any
assaults that do take place.
Awareness campaignThe commission recently launched a public
information campaign to raise awareness on its role in reporting acts of
corruption and protecting whistleblowers and witnesses.
The campaign targets citizens, public
sector employees, and all sectors of society, to motivate the public to report
acts of corruption, and to publicize the commission’s role in protecting
whistleblowers, witnesses, informants, and experts in corruption cases, as well
as their relatives and close contacts.
Some 200 people were convicted of various corruption crimes in the past year, including embezzlement, bribery, forgery, and the nepotism.
The campaign, titled "Report, and the
Anti-Corruption Commission will Protect You", stresses that combatting
corrupt practices is an integral responsibility and that citizens are an
essential partner in eradicating corruption by standing against it and
reporting it.
Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh
instructed ministries, institutions, government departments, municipalities,
joint services councils, the Greater Amman Municipality, universities, and
government-owned companies to support the campaign and to re-share
awareness-raising content produced by the Integrity and Anti-Corruption
Commission, posting it on their official websites and social media pages using
the campaign's hashtag.
Tough anti-corruption measuresFor years, Jordan had taken vigorous action
to combat corruption, Petra reported. Some 200 people were convicted of various
corruption crimes in the past year, including embezzlement, bribery, forgery,
and the nepotism.
The Kingdom ranked 61st globally and fourth
among Arab countries on the global Corruption Perceptions Index 2022, which was
released by Transparency International and evaluated 180 countries.
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