LEGISLATION: Graft law to be debated next month

The Council of Ministers is set to debate a draft of the long-awaited Anticorruption Law on December 11, after an order from Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday, council spokesman Phay Siphan said. “In the current stable political climate and due to the passing of the new Penal Code by the National Assembly, it is time for the government to fight against corruption,” he said. Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann said his party welcomed the push for the new bill, but warned that the government must consider recommendations by national and international experts. “We cannot say if the Anticorruption Law will be good or not, but we are concerned about implementation while the judicial system lacks independence,” he said. Thun Saray, president of rights group Adhoc, said it was positive that Hun Sen had kept his promise to pass the law after the new Penal Code, but also expressed some concerns about the mechanisms by which it would punish corrupt activities. “The important thing is what will be the meaning of the law, especially the mechanisms and the independence of the [anticorruption] commission,” he said.