Togo: The judicial Police learning the ropes of combating corruption and related offenses
Corruption is one of the cancers eating away at Africa’s economy. The Togolese government, having taken the problem seriously, has put in place regulatory instruments to dissuade would-be corruptors and corrupted parties. Since its creation, the HAPLUCIA (the High Authority for the Prevention and Fight against Corruption and Related Offences) has made awareness-raising its means of action to help people understand the extent of corruption in the national economy. With this in mind, a meeting was held with the judicial police, who have been identified as the prime targets of corruption.
The meeting aims to improve the knowledge of judicial police officers on the missions and functioning of the HAPLUCIA.
The aim is also to raise their awareness of the harmful consequences of corruption and related offences, and to involve them more closely in preventing and combating corruption.
The Minister of Security and Civil Protection, who was present at the meeting, pointed out that corruption is a global phenomenon that affects all socio-economic sectors, including the judicial police.
He underlined the acts of corruption in the sector, which include bribes, rackets, influence peddling, abuse of position, arrests and police custody, and that the government is resolutely committed to the fight against corruption in all its forms through the priority given to this issue in the National development plan ( PND) and the government’s 2020-2025 roadmap.
«HAPLUCIA wanted to place us at the heart of our missions and before our responsibilities in the face of acts of corruption of which we are either perpetrators, victims or witnesses, but which we allow to flourish through our silence or indifference. I particularly call on you, as actors of the law, to work towards building an effective and efficient legal system, free from any suspicion of corruption», concluded the Minister.
The involvment of the judicial police officers in the prevention and fight against corruption is now an essential and salutary aspect of national anti-corruption strategies, especially when it comes to conducting enquiries or investigations in general and into corruption in particular.
It is to be hoped that this meeting will not be just another one, that habits will begin to change.
Kodjovi Makafui
