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ENHANCING JUDICIARY`S ABILITY TO CURB CORRUPTION - A PRACTICAL GUIDE
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2. Raisingawarenessandfacilitatingmulti-stakeholderdialogue
Using evidence from research, numerous Chapters have led awareness campaigns and engaged in
different forms of multi-stakeholder dialogue to promote a transparent and accountable judiciary. For
example:
•
TI Bosnia-Herzegovina
used the negative findings from an analysis of corruption cases in the
country to launch a campaign to raise awareness about the issue and to advocate for a more
independent and efficient judiciary.
•
TI Georgia
organised a series of campaigns calling for an end to executive interference in the
judiciary.
•
Various “Justice Fora” were organised by
TI Czech Republic
to promote a more transparent
judiciary and less dependence on political will. In 2013 the Chapter held a Justice Forum on the
preparation of the law on the State Prosecutor’s office.
•
In 2013 in cooperation with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ),
TI Zimbabwe
organized
two workshops that provided a space for discussion on best practices in the judicial system.
•
TI Hungary
organised a conference on integrity in cooperation with the State Prosecutor’s office
in 2012.
•
TI
Latvia
is planning to engage with various authorities, such as the Latvian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, the Employer’s Confederation of Latvia and others, to address their
goal of strengthening the independence of the judiciary by reducing corruption risks.
•
TI Romania
led in 2009 the NGO coalition that mediated between the state powers (including
parliamentary parties), in order to end a one-month strike of the judiciary through a Pact for
Judiciary signed by all. It also coordinated the largest civil society coalition in Romania (bringing
together the main NGOs and trade unions) in a joint campaign (“Stop the Codes!”) to ask for
substantial reform of the country’s Civil and Criminal Codes.
•
TI Chaptersworldwide
cooperatewith relevant institutions and other civil society representatives
to advocate for judicial reforms based on TI 2007 Global Corruption Report on Judiciary and its
Advocacy Toolkit.
3. Facilitating access to justice
In addition to raising awareness of the problems and advocating for reform, TI in several countries
have facilitated citizens’ access to justice and have provided opportunities for them to voice complaints
and concerns. For example:
•
TI Bangladesh
has used report cards to assess citizen satisfaction with court services, and has
advocated for corruption complaints box to be present in the office of Supreme Court Registrar.
•
Following engagement by
TI Guatemala
(Acción Ciudadana), the Guatemalan Ministry of
Justice pledged to create specific mechanisms for investigating corruption and introduced its
first formal complaint procedure for citizens who experience abuses within the judiciary.
•
The TI Chapter in
Palestine
(AMAN) engaged and advocated for the introduction of a court
complaint system; today all courts in the country are equipped with permanent signs, complaint
boxes for citizens and brochures explaining how to make a complaint.
•
TI France
has recently lead a strategic litigation effort to recover assets stolen by corrupt officials
in Africa and laundered in France.
•
In 2009,
TI Zambia
published a guidebook on how to avoid corruption when accessing judicial
services, which aimed at explaining court processes and informing individuals of their rights
when dealing with the judiciary.
•
More than 50
TI Chapters worldwide
support victims and witnesses of corruption through
Advocacy and Legal Advice Centres (ALACs), the RomanianALAC is one of the founders in 2003.