On the eve of the International Anti-Corruption Day, celebrated on 9 December, the Chair of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), Marin Mrčela, made the following statement:

“2017 has been a dark year on the anti-corruption front. There have been many allegations of corruption in public and private organisations, which have eroded people’s trust in them. Judges have been dismissed or imprisoned and many prosecutions have been undermined simply because they were doing their independent and impartial job; election campaigns have been polluted by corruption allegations and journalists have been silenced, imprisoned or killed.

As we mark International Anti-Corruption Day, we cannot and must not remain indifferent. We need to remind ourselves of the great work done by journalists like Daphne Caruana Galizia: a Maltese journalist who was brutally murdered and whose investigations focused precisely on corruption issues. Her murder needs to be effectively investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. Her work and the one of other investigative journalists should be supported and encouraged as transparency is key to accountability.

To eliminate corruption in our societies, it is crucial that we have robust legislation and independent institutions, but that is not enough. We also need good, honest people to come to the front, show leadership and lead by example with honesty, probity and integrity.”