Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on the Prevention of Corruption Preventive activities of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau: handbooks and training courses for civil servants and enterpreneurs UNODC PawełSekutowski Vienna, 27-29 August 2012
The Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA): is a Polish special service with police powers, established by the Act of 9 June 2006, is empowered to combat and prevent corruption in public and economic life as well as activities detrimental to the State's economic interest (Art. 1 of the Act on the CBA), in performing its tasks, presents multi-faceted approach, which joins operational and investigative work with preventive and educational activities.
The anti-corruption publications of the CBA
Anti-Corruption Guidebook for Civil Servants Aimed at people working for government and local government administration. It presents basic definitions relating to corruption and indicates the differences between a public official and a person performing a public function. It explains the notion of a financial advantage and personal advantage.
Anti-Corruption Guidebook for Civil Servants 12,500 copies published and distributed to the central and local government institutions, 560 training courses for 230 institutions concluded, ca. 15,000 civil servants have been trained who are employed, among others, in ministries, the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Polish Financial Supervision Authority, National Bank of Poland, Penitentiary Service and local government administration.
The Anti-Corruption Guidebook for Entrepreneurs The Guidebook is dedicated to entrepreneurs. It presents the laws and patterns of behaviour in corruption situations. Available both in Polish and in English. 6/22
Framework of anti-corruption training courses General introduction on the CBA and the risk areas, Basic terms and definitions, eg. features and types of corruption acts, perpetrators, Legal framework passive and active bribery, penalties, ethics and corruption not subject to prosecution, Case studies, Patterns of behaviour (how to respond to an offer or demand of a bribe, who to turn to), Symptoms of corruption, Prevention (risk analysis, ethics, anti-corruption programmes).
Reporting acts of corruption Polish Criminal Proceedings Code provides that: every civil servant has a legal duty to report crimes (among others corruption) he knows about. Otherwise, they risk to be charged with negligence, which itself is a corruption offence, every citizen (entrepreneurs as well) has a moral and civic duty to report crime. Polish Penal Code provides that a person who gave an advantage and informed a law enforcement agency about the fact before the authority found out about it may not be subject to penalty.
Issues & topics Prevention is better than cure, Avoidance of ambiguous situations, How to behave professionally who to address and what to do.
Challenges Participants unaware of legal duties and corrupt behaviours, Lack of internal anti-corruption regulations and procedures, Corruption not subject to prosecution (nepotism, conflict of interest), Shortages in manpower, Lack of general anti-corruption strategy at the national level.
Achievements Constant (repeated) requests to include institutions in the training course schedule, Requests for advice and assistance in the creation of internal codes of conduct/anticorruption procedures.
Central Anti-Corruption Bureau Al. Ujazdowskie 9 00-583 Warszawa e-mail: bip@cba.gov.pl www.cba.gov.pl phone: +48 22 437 22 22
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