KABUL - The European Union (EU) anti corruption campaign put the judiciary on agenda for its annual anti corruption drive from Sunday till April 2 focusing on judicial corruption in the country, said a statement from the EU mission on Sunday.
Afghan's saw the judiciary as the most corrupt part of public administration in Afghanistan. Therefore the EU in Afghanistan again put corruption in the judiciary on the agenda of its annual anti-corruption campaign.
"The Afghan people cry for justice and rule of law. The need for reform is long overdue. Although we have seen some improvements in the justice sector – in the Attorney General's Office with the Anti-Corruption Justice Centre -it is very clear that reforms are too slow,” read the statement.
It added ending impunity was the way to end corruption. However, the justice system itself was corrupt. The judicial system must clean up its own ranks and bring in new staff in through merit based recruitment.
“Today the judiciary is too often a tool for the powerful and rich and it is not serving ordinary Afghan citizens who suffer from injustice fed by corruption," says EU Special Representative in Afghanistan, Ambassador Franz-Michael Mellbin.
A corrupt and malfunctioning local justice structure left space for informal justice in many rural areas -often run by insurgents or war lords. This pattern has to change.
"The Government must take lead when it comes to breaking down the culture of corruption. The key is to end impunity – we have seen the first prosecutions and I hope more is to come soon. By starting from the top the Afghan Government can send a strong signal to all Afghans that the time of corruption in Afghanistan is over," states Ambassador Mellbin. (Pajhwok)