Anti-corruption commission complains about new office facility

The Federal Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (FEACC) expressed its distress with lack of adequate office facility after it moved out of their old office located around the area commonly known as Lagar.
The commission that moved to a building located behind Hilton Hotel on Tito Street, claimed that it is unable to properly manage its operation and file the documents of the registered asset of public officials.
On the 14 the Executives National Anticorruption Coalition meeting held at the Sheraton Addis, participants and officials of the commission frequently expressed their concern about the challenge that the commission faces.
One of the participants that represent one organization stated that it has to be clear whether the government wanted this organization to continue or not.
Since November last year the commission moved to its new office after the newly established Government Housing Corporation took over its building that uses to house the commission since its establishment.
“They are the owner of the building, but the commission has to have a proper facility to operate its activity normally,” one of the participants said.
Ayelign Mulualem, Commissioner of FEACC, who comes to the position in November, told Capital that his organization expressed its concern to the relevant government offices like the Office of the Prime Minister and Ministry of Finance and Economic Cooperation (MoFEC). “The current PM is new for the post but we have expressed our concern for MoFEC strongly,” he added.
“We have several documents related with asset disclosure and registration that do not get proper storage area,” he said.
Ayelign who was chief administrator of the North Gondar Zone and head of Health Bureau of the Amhara Region, said that one of the missions of the commission is creating awareness to fight corruption, however there is no proper venue to give trainings for different segment of the public.
“Currently our commission has several responsibilities at the continental and international stages but we could not host our guests from abroad at our office,” the Commissioner said. “If we hosted them in this facility it is a bad image for the country and it may give an image that the government do not give proper attention for fighting corruption,” he says.
The problem has forced the commission to host guests at hotels.
Officers at the commission said that part of the equipment of FEACC still remains in the previous building. The Commissioner argued that the current building of FEACC was not constructed for office purpose. He said that it was built for shop and residential facilities, which makes it difficult for them.