Once corruption becomes institutionalised, it is very difficult to eradicate. Morocco, ranked 89th worldwide in last year'sCorruption Perceptions Index, is a typical example and a new report from the kingdom's Central Authority for the Prevention of Corruption (ICPC) examines the nature of the problem.

Interestingly, the Moroccan list of relevant offences "includes practically the same elements as the United Nations' anti-corruption convention" but the report (as relayed by the Magharebia news website) highlights a number of loopholes:

• Attempting to engage in acts of corruption is not seen as a criminal offence. 

• There is a lack of legal protection for witnesses and whistle-blowers.

• In terms of prevention, there is no legislative framework to guarantee access rights to information.

In the political sphere:

• The law on political parties does not include any obligation to publish documents brought before the Court of Accounts.

• The electoral code does not oblige candidates standing in legislative elections to present a list of expenditures to the verification board, and does not require the board to publish its report. 

• Legislators have failed to make it a criminal offence to break the rules, and have not set out the necessary penalties.

• Legislation on the declaration of assets is also incomplete: the law does not stipulate any obligation to declare the assets of a spouse or offspring who have reached legal age.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 9 July 2010.