58 reports of persons paying bribes to Government agencies

Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee has revealed that since its launching in May of 2013, his ministry I paid a bribe website has received 58 reports against employees in nine government agencies from persons who anonymously admitted to paying bribes.

According to Rohee, the reports have been sent to the agencies fingered for them to conduct their own investigation.

The Ministry of Home Affairs sees the I paid a bribe website as a move to fight corruption in government Agencies

“We at the Ministry believe that the concept will highlight areas of systemic corruption within public sector agencies and provide the basis for Government to make organizational and other interventions to reduce the scope for corruption in Agencies which deliver services to the public”, Rohee said in his Ministry’s year end report.

The website’s address is www.ipaidabribe.gy and citizens are being encouraged to report their experiences of being asked to pay bribes and paying bribes on the website.

The local initiative follows a programme that was launched internationally in 2010 as part of an effort to identify and report corruption in Government services.

The Home Affairs Minister believes that the move will get Guyanese more involved in fighting corruption. Though they are asked to make reports of corruption and bribery on the website, persons are being discouraged from naming themselves or other persons on the website. The Ministry said the programme allows persons who would have paid bribes to do so anonymously.

However, since the programme is internet based, the Ministry and web masters could possibly locate the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of persons filing complaints. The Ministry has said the programme is part of its Citizen’s security initiative and is very secure.