ACC chief feels Namibia’s graft ranking ‘misleading’

NAMIBIA’S slip of eight points on Transparency International’s corruption rankings has more to do with a statistical aberration and the fact that the latest index took poverty-alleviation measures into account, according to Anti-Corruption Commissioner Paulus Noa.

“The new ranking does not reflect the reality on the ground. We deserve a better rating than this because of our commitment and efforts so far to combat corruption,” the ACC director said in an interview with The Namibian.He defended the ACC against accusations that it was only pursuing the “small fry”, insisting that the bigger and more serious investigations – ranking from the Avid case to the missing ODC millions and Namibia Liquid Fuel’s questionable deal – were enjoying their full attention.Media reports on corruption, which he said remain the most effective tool for exposing corruption, should have led to a better ranking, as countries where there was no media freedom obviously would fare worse in TI’s ranking.TI’s rankings are based on perceptions of corruption as reported in the media and by interviewing key industry players.”If [the] media expose corruption, then it means we are doing better than countries where there is no free media.But TI does not seem to take freedom of the media as part of the ranking,” Noa said.But if TI based its rankings purely on what had been reported in the media without verifying the facts, it amounted to “a mere opinion”.While he was grateful for TI’s work, the fact remained that these rankings had a negative effect on foreign investment in Namibia, he said.Noah said that when the previous CPI Index – which gives countries a mark out of 10 – was compiled there had been no official anti-corruption commission in place in Namibia.In 2005, Namibia was ranked 4,3, which placed it on the same level as Greece and Slovakia.Namibia’s current CPI rating of 4,1 sees it lumped together with Costa Rica.In 2005, TI sampled 185 countries, while the current rankings were compiled from 163 countries.By making the sample smaller, all countries’ CPI rating was affected – even those such as Finland, Iceland and New Zealand, whose CPI ratings also slipped, although marginally, in the current report, Noa said.”Even South Africa has slipped (from a CPI of 5,9) down from 32 to 37 now, so it is clear that the sample size must in some way affect a country’s ranking,” he said.THE CHALLENGE While there was a high level of commitment from all players in media, the general public, the government and the private sector to combat corruption, the fact remained that the ACC was still under-resourced in terms of staff and facilities, Noa said.Much of the ACC’s time was also being taken up by complaints on matters that should be dealt with other institutions like the Office of the Ombudsman or the Office of the Prosecutor General, he said.”We hear of many cases of plain and simple theft – and these should be dealt with by the Police.But we have to listen to everyone, or face losing their confidence,” he said.Part of the delay in appointing specialist investigators and creating structures in the ACC also had to do with the sheer bureaucracy of the state, as Public Service Commission rules determined the pace by which appointments could be made, other well-placed ACC sources said.Noa concurred: “We are already running out of office space here (at the ACC’s 5 Johan Albrecht Strasse offices in Windhoek) and we have not even appointed the special investigators we will need to do our work,” he said.The ACC hoped to be able to relocate to another building at some time in the future, and he hoped that the private sector would assist them in this regard to find a place that was both secure and accessible enough, he said.As for the special investigators – who will have higher levels of specialist and forensic skills than the current 10 Policemen seconded to the ACC – interest was enormous: the ACC had received “nearly 300 applications” for just one of those positions, he said.* John Grobler is a freelance journalist; 081 240 1587We deserve a better rating than this because of our commitment and efforts so far to combat corruption,” the ACC director said in an interview with The Namibian.He defended the ACC against accusations that it was only pursuing the “small fry”, insisting that the bigger and more serious investigations – ranking from the Avid case to the missing ODC millions and Namibia Liquid Fuel’s questionable deal – were enjoying their full attention.Media reports on corruption, which he said remain the most effective tool for exposing corruption, should have led to a better ranking, as countries where there was no media freedom obviously would fare worse in TI’s ranking.TI’s rankings are based on perceptions of corruption as reported in the media and by interviewing key industry players.”If [the] media expose corruption, then it means we are doing better than countries where there is no free media.But TI does not seem to take freedom of the media as part of the ranking,” Noa said.But if TI based its rankings purely on what had been reported in the media without verifying the facts, it amounted to “a mere opinion”.While he was grateful for TI’s work, the fact remained that these rankings had a negative effect on foreign investment in Namibia, he said.Noah said that when the previous CPI Index – which gives countries a mark out of 10 – was compiled there had been no official anti-corruption commission in place in Namibia.In 2005, Namibia was ranked 4,3, which placed it on the same level as Greece and Slovakia.Namibia’s current CPI rating of 4,1 sees it lumped together with Costa Rica.In 2005, TI sampled 185 countries, while the current rankings were compiled from 163 countries.By making the sample smaller, all countries’ CPI rating was affected – even those such as Finland, Iceland and New Zealand, whose CPI ratings also slipped, although marginally, in the current report, Noa said.”Even South Africa has slipped (from a CPI of 5,9) down from 32 to 37 now, so it is clear that the sample size must in some way affect a country’s ranking,” he said.THE CHALLENGE While there was a high level of commitment from all players in media, the general public, the government and the private sector to combat corruption, the fact remained that the ACC was still under-resourced in terms of staff and facilities, Noa said.Much of the ACC’s time was also being taken up by complaints on matters that should be dealt with other institutions like the Office of the Ombudsman or the Office of the Prosecutor General, he said.”We hear of many cases of plain and simple theft – and these should be dealt with by the Police.But we have to listen to everyone, or face losing their confidence,” he said.Part of the delay in appointing specialist investigators and creating structures in the ACC also had to do with the sheer bureaucracy of the state, as Public Service Commission rules determined the pace by which appointments could be made, other well-placed ACC sources said.Noa concurred: “We are already running out of office space here (at the ACC’s 5 Johan Albrecht Strasse offices in Windhoek) and we have not even appointed the special investigators we will need to do our work,” he said.The ACC hoped to be able to relocate to another building at some time in the future, and he hoped that the private sector would assist them in this regard to find a place that was both secure and accessible enough, he said.As for the special investigators – who will have higher levels of specialist and forensic skills than the current 10 Policemen seconded to the ACC – interest was enormous: the ACC had received “nearly 300 applications” for just one of those positions, he said.* John Grobler is a freelance journalist; 081 240 1587