The president of Transparency International (TI), a global anti-corruption organisation, Huguette Labelle, is expected in the country today for a three-day visit. According to Paul Kananura, the executive secretary of Transparency Rwanda ASBL, Labelle’s trip is aimed at strengthening ties with the country and share experience through discussions on different programmes geared towards fighting corruption. TI was created in 1993 with an aim of raising awareness on the damaging effects of corruption and working with partners in government, business and civil society to develop and implement effective measures to address issues related to corruption. The organisation recently published Corruption Perceptions Index 2008 that ranked Rwanda 102nd out of 180 countries, figures that were contested by the country as inaccurate. “We disagreed with their ranking and we sent the Deputy Ombudsman with the documented concerns to explain why we disagreed with the ranking,” Tito Rutaremera the ombudsman.The Office of the Ombudsman is the country’s supreme body charged with the fight against corruption. During her visit, Labelle, a Canadian national, is scheduled to hold discussions with different public institutions including the Office of Ombudsman and the Ministry of Local Government. ”She proposed to meet us and we are ready to give her an ear, so we are meeting her and share some experiences,” Rutaremara said. Kananura said that her visit will be an opportunity to exchange ideas between government, international organizations and the people of Rwanda about the best practices in the fight against corruption. Ends
