Back GRECO calls on Monaco to supplement and extend its mechanism for fighting corruption in the executive and the police

GRECO calls on Monaco to supplement and extend its mechanism for fighting corruption in the executive and the police

In a report published today which evaluates the effectiveness of the framework in place in Monaco for preventing corruption among persons with top executive functions and members of law enforcement agencies, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) calls on Monaco to take resolute steps to supplement and extend the recent legislation applicable to members of the government in order to make the anticorruption system more consistent and provide all the requisite guarantees of integrity.

GRECO recommends that the rules of ethics and the obligation to declare interests and assets be made applicable to the persons who work most closely with ministers, to the Secretary of State for Justice and to the Prince’s advisers. For all of the most senior posts in the executive, these rules need to be supplemented with better assessment of the integrity of appointees, greater transparency of their activity and more monitoring of compliance with the rules, as well as a system of penalties. The rules on outside activities and jobs taken after leaving office also need to be made clearer.

Given that the Sovereign Prince actually performs key executive functions, GRECO also recommends that some of these transparency and integrity measures be made applicable to the Head of State, in particular those relating to contact between him and third parties and gifts received in the course of his executive functions, prevention of conflicts of interest and the use of public funds allocated to the running of the Sovereign household.

While welcoming the appointment of an ethics committee and an ethics officer from whom ministers can obtain advice, GRECO calls for an overall anticorruption strategy to be introduced.

Noting that a culture of discretion prevails in Monaco, GRECO recommends that access to information be improved, pointing out, for example, that there are no rules governing dealings between public decision-makers and lobbyists, and no system to facilitate the intervention and protection of whistleblowers.

It also calls for the public procurement system to be made more transparent, targeting in particular the decision-making role of state officials in businesses in which the state is a majority shareholder but which operate according to the rules applicable to private companies. It also recommends introducing a measure inviting the Prince to remove himself formally from public decisions in which he or his family have a private interest.

In its report, GRECO recognises that the Monegasque police is well organised and enjoys a good reputation among the public. It recommends, however, that the authorities ensure greater transparency in the appointment of its senior officers and increased scrutiny of the integrity of appointees. GRECO would like to see the police code of ethics supplemented by practical guidance and more training. It also calls for an overall strategy for tackling corruption in the police to be put in place to make the system more coherent and effective and for the asset and interest declaration system for persons holding at-risk posts to be supplemented so that effective and substantial scrutiny of these declarations can happen.

GRECO calls for particular attention to be paid to the police’s powers in relation to issuing residence permits, which give entitlement to an advantageous tax status and pose a risk in terms of staff integrity. Lastly, it recommends that rules on whistleblowers and their protection be put in place for the police.

  • Link to the report: ENG - FRA

 

GRECO and Monaco

 

Strasbourg 24/07/2024
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Ever since antiquity, corruption has been one of the most widespread and insidious of social evils. When it involves public officials and elected representatives, it is inimical to the administration of public affairs. Since the end of the 19th century, it has also been seen as a major threat in the private sphere, undermining the trust and confidence which are necessary for the maintenance and development of sustainable economic and social relations. It is estimated that hundreds of billions of Euros are paid in bribes every year. (more)

A word from the President of GRECO

Welcome to this window on GRECO’s world!
I invite you to use it to look into the work we do with our 48 member States. We use the dynamics of collective expertise and peer pressure to accomplish action by individual governments that will build durable barriers against corruption and bring to justice those who misuse their position for personal gain to the detriment of society as a whole.

Whether inspired by GRECO’s work, that of others with an anti-corruption agenda or our own experiences and principles, each one of us has a role to play in changing the mind-set to zero tolerance of corruption.

Members of GRECO Bureau

The composition of GRECO's Bureau is the following: António DELICADO (Portugal), Vita HABJAN BARBORIČ (Slovenia), David MEYER (United Kingdom), President Marin MRČELA (Croatia), Vice-President Monika OLSSON (Sweden), Olivier GONIN (Switzerland) and Panagiota VATIKALOU (Greece).

 BEWARE OF SCAMS

It has been brought to our attention that the name of GRECO is being used for fraudulent purposes. These scams may appear to use letterhead with the GRECO logo, or contain the signatures of actual or fictitious senior GRECO officials, aiming to give the appearance of a legitimate GRECO correspondence.  Sometimes they may include legitimate website addresses to give a veneer of credibility to the scam.

Typically, the solicitations asked potential victims to provide personal information such as signatures or bank account information, and to pay certain advance fees, often described as "processing fees." In return, the potential victim was promised sums of money that the person soliciting the "fees" had no intention of paying. In some cases, those seeking the funds used the names of actual GRECO staff members to sign the letters in order to bolster their credibility.

GRECO, the Council of Europe's anti-corruption body, monitors the way in which its member countries implement the Council of Europe conventions and other instruments at national level. GRECO does not contact members of the public directly by email, telephone, Whatsapp or any other means about specific financial transactions or personal information.

We caution the public to be very wary of these and other similar solicitations that falsely claim to be affiliated with the GRECO. If you have received such a communication, we advise you to immediately terminate that contact.  If you have already paid them money, please contact your local law enforcement without delay.