We fully endorse the legislative framework for the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) approved by the Council of Ministers a few days ago, which gives the crime-fighting agency a considerable amount of power to crack down on corrupt government officials. The speed at which the NACC was set up under the leadership of Mohammad Bin Abdullah Al-Sharif, is also highly commendable. The commission's brief, to combat financial and administrative fraud, is unambiguous. The 17 articles of the law contain financial and moral incentives for the commission's employees and other civil servants to expose wrongdoing. All government bodies and companies, in which the State has a 25 percent stake, fall under the jurisdiction of the commission. The articles also stipulate that the commission is linked directly to the King and is an independent financial and administrative legal entity. The NACC has to follow up on all corruption cases and ensure the return of all embezzled and swindled State funds. It is also obliged to carry out awareness campaigns to inform and educate the public about its work and about the importance of fighting corruption. In addition, it has to represent the Kingdom at international and regional conferences and encourage cooperation from the country's media and other auditing and oversight bodies. The NACC's president will be appointed at the rank of minister and is responsible for all its financial and administrative affairs. He also represents the commission at all private and public gatherings and has to prepare its budget and submit it directly to the King. He is also authorized to delegate some functions to his officials. The commission will have an independent budget in its name at the Saudi Monetary Agency (SAMA). There is an urgent need for the NACC. We have reported regularly on the current state of government projects that have either not been completed or face massive delays because of incompetence, poor oversight and corruption. A staggering SR30 billion worth of public projects have either been delayed or do not meet set criteria because of these factors. These delays are pushing up costs by at least 25 percent, we reported recently, which will have to be borne by the government. This is a waste of public money. We wish the NACC all the best in its efforts to rid the country of these criminals. __
