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Ambassador Charles L. Glazer’s Remarks for the Conference
“Building Towards Public Ethics in El Salvador”
His Excellency President Antonio Saca,
His Excellency President of the Legislative Assembly, Professor Rubén Orellana,
His Excellency President of the Supreme Court of Justice, Doctor Agustín García Calderón,
Distinguished President of the Government Ethics Tribunal, Lizette Kuri de Mendoza,
Distinguished members of the Government,
Respected representatives of the private sector, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and the press corps,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning.
It is my pleasure to be here today to celebrate the first anniversary of the creation of the Government Ethics Tribunal and to participate in the inauguration of this event: “Building Towards Public Ethics in El Salvador.”
It has been a year since the Tribunal was established by the Salvadoran government. Today, with the support of numerous employees in various sectors, the Tribunal has laid a solid foundation for achieving its goal of helping to create a culture of ethical conduct and helping to combat corruption in the public sector.
According to many sources such as the UN Global Compact, the Center for International Private Enterprise, Transparency International and the Christian Science Monitor, each year countries around the world pay $1 trillion dollars for something that neither the people nor the Governments want: Corruption. This means that millions of dollars are unavailable for use in critical and basic public services. Corruption adds an estimated 10 percent or more to the cost of doing business, and that hurts competitiveness.
The U.S. Government, like many of you, has high expectations for the Tribunal. Although the Tribunal is just reaching one year, it has already resolved a number of cases in an expedient manner, such as conflict of interest, misuse of government property, nepotism, and noncompliance in performing public employees’ duties and responsibilities. More citizens are now presenting their complaints to the Tribunal, while the entity itself is gaining credibility.
The Tribunal has already supported the establishment of 70 commissions within government institutions to assist in the implementation of the ethics law. These include more than 90 percent of all government entities.
While all these efforts are admirable, there is more that needs be done. To improve the Tribunal’s role, its members have recommended reforms to the implementing law to strengthen enforcement provisions.
In addition, a Freedom of Information Law, as proposed by the Salvadoran Foundation for Economic and Social Development and experts of the Organization of American States, would help to guarantee public access to government records and decision-making. A Code of Judicial Conduct, which is in the process of being finalized by the Supreme Court, is also needed. This Code will establish the standards for the ethical conduct of judges and it will also enhance citizen confidence in the legal system.
An Asset Forfeiture Law would insure that money which has been illegally obtained is recovered by the government and put to good use. It would provide a more agile means for recovery of assets acquired from illicit activities, including drug trafficking and acts of corruption and provide the government resources that could be invested in security, development and other critical programs.
I encourage the Government of El Salvador, together with the Tribunal, and other important non-government and private sector actors to move aggressively forward on these reforms. I applaud the government and Tribunal for the good work they are doing.
The U. S. Government is proud to have assisted the Salvadoran Government to establish the Ethics Tribunal, and we look forward to working together in this and other Salvadoran initiatives to combat corruption.
Thank you very much.
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