Transparency and collaboration are vital if Customs corruption is to be expunged, said Kunio Mikuriya, secretary general of the World Customs Organisation. A recent report, compiled by experts from the WCO, highlights seven reasons why Customs corruption still prevails.
1. Despite the establishment of automated Customs clearance systems in all of the administrations the experts visited, in most cases automation is incomplete. “This slows the process down, and increases contact between officials and users,” Mikuriya said.
2. Certain stages of some Customs clearance processes are superfluous, adding nothing more than an additional unnecessary stage. “Sometimes, for social reasons, certain obsolete duties are [deliberately] maintained so that jobs do not have to be cut, since the officials who perform these duties are not always capable of carrying out others,” says Mikuriya. “These additional stages may help to generate opportunities for corruption.”
3. Most administrations have introduced a mechanism allowing officials and users to report acts of corruption. However, fear of reprisals and lack of (legal) protection has deterred whistle blowers from coming forward, even when anonymity can be guaranteed.
4. Higher salaries in Customs are not necessarily a guarantee of respect for integrity, unless they are accompanied by other reform measures. “However, providing acceptable working conditions which foster ethical behaviour and do not place officials in extremely precarious circumstances is critical,” warned Mikuriya. “Yet in some of the countries visited by a WCO mission, political changes have often resulted in Customs officials’ salaries being reduced by half or even two thirds, which is not helpful.”
5. Recruitment of Customs officials is often subject to political interference. This jeopardises recruitment based on integrity tests and can provoke frustration and conflicts within an administration.
6. Although most administrations have introduced anti-corruption measures, the absence of an anti-corruption strategy is common to 90% of the countries that the experts examined.
7. The incentives and explanations offered to persuade officials to respect integrity should not be restricted solely to the fear of penalties. “It is just as important to highlight the advantages that exist for individuals and for an administration in demonstrating respect for integrity,” said Mikuriya.
