The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Anti-corruption campaigners yesterday urged The Bahamas "to tackle" Transparency International's zero ratings for this nation's freedom of information, procurement "integrity" and political transparency.

Lemarque Campbell, of Citizens for a Better Bahamas, told Tribune Business that improvements in these areas were vital to building "greater trust and confidence in government", and to boost the country's "ease of doing business" standing.

He spoke out after Transparency International's "country scorecard" for The Bahamas, representing an assessment of whether this nation's legal and institutional anti-corruption framework meets global best practices, identified several weaknesses.

Mr Campbell and Citizens for a Better Bahamas, as the local Transparency International contact, provided the research and data upon which the Transparency International findings are based.

Revealing that The Bahamas is the "first nation in the Caribbean" to be subjected to the "scorecard", which is being applied to 40 countries worldwide, Mr Campbell said the effort was based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) "target 16", which seeks to reduce corruption within member states.

Emphasising that it did not focus on compliance and enforcement, which will be assessed later, Mr Campbell nevertheless said that the Bahamas' "zero ratings" - the lowest possible scores - in four categories reflected the absence of legislation or the failure to implement it.

For example, Mr Campbell explained that the Bahamas scored 'zero' on access to information because it has yet to give effect to the Freedom of Information. The absence of campaign finance and related disclosure laws also explained why this nation hit bottom on 'transparency in lobbying' and 'transparency in party and election campaign financing'.

The Bahamas also achieved a 'zero' on public procurement integrity, which Mr Campbell said was linked to both international reports and the wait for the Government to fully effect the new electronic system for bidding on and awarding public sector contracts.

"US entities have been reporting for years on end, stating how American companies found the public procurement process to be opaque," Mr Campbell told Tribune Business. "That's an international perspective, but locally that's experienced by Bahamian companies.

"We note there is an electronic procurement process underway, but it's not completely implemented yet. We could not assess positively for that. We can only assess where we are now for public procurement."

The Bahamas' main weaknesses in the Transparency International 'scorecard' related mainly to issues with the Government/public sector, where it scored 50 percent for 'fiscal transparency' and 25 percent for both 'transparency and integrity in public administration' and 'whistleblowing'.

The country fared better in the assessment of its 'anti-corruption framework and institutions', with a 73 percent rating, while its best scores related to its anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing framework.

The Bahamas hit 88 percent, or the highest ranking, for its anti-money laundering defences, while also scoring 67 percent and 44 percent, respectively, for 'asset recovery' and 'beneficial ownership'.

Mr Campbell said the Bahamas fared best in categories where it frequently came under international pressure, pointing to the recent passage and enforcement of the new Financial Transactions Reporting Act and Proceeds of Crime Act for the high anti-money laundering score.

He added that this regime had become "more robust given the international pressure we have experienced. With greater international pressure in that arena, the Government tends to act more.

"We now have a robust anti-money laundering regime which requires greater due diligence for companies and account holders, and with regard to beneficial ownership. We saw this go in line with the international pressure that comes."

Mr Campbell called for the same attention and "spotlight" to now be paid to effecting the Freedom of Information Act and public procurement reforms, along with political finance and disclosure reforms.

"We hope the Government can move forward in enacting and enforcing much-needed anti-corruption legislation," he told Tribune Business. "It's important to tackle the 'zero rating' areas because it drives greater trust and confidence in government.

"These areas can assist in the ease of doing business. Once we have integrity in public procurement in place that can drive improvements in the ease of doing business."

Mr Campbell added that the Transparency International 'scorecard' provided a "screen shot" of where the Bahamas stands in the fight against corruption, and could help provide the Government with more data on which to base its actions in this area - especially with the comparisons against other countries.

"We anticipate that with this data it can allow for a more substantive, efficient and driven public policy," he said. "There's been a lot of talk about the need for anti-corruption reforms and changes in the country, but we've not based them on sound data."

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