The School of Law at the University of Jordan organized a symposium titled "The Impact of Administrative Corruption on the Jordanian Economy: Between the International Convention and Local Legislation."
The symposium included three main topics. The first dealt with the nature of administrative corruption and ecnountering it in light of the United Nations' Convention Against Corruption which was presented by the former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Mohyieddeen Touq, in which he shed light on the developments that led Jordan to join to the convention.
Touq touched on the concept of corruption, defining it as the abuse of power or position to achieve undeserved personal gains. He noted the importance of differentiating between the legal definition of corruption, distinguishing between administrative errors officials make while performing their duties on the one hand, and corruption and financial waste that result from some administrative actions on the other hand. He also referred to sustainable development goals, as for the first time in the United Nations’ history there was talk of corruption of an institutional and official nature.
The second topic of the symposium, presented by the head of the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission, Dr. Muhannad Al-Hijazi, focused on combating administrative corruption in Jordanian legislation, as Hijazi pointed out that corruption is a phenomenon that exists in every country in the world.
Hijazi explained that administrative corruption is related to public office and the deviation of the employee to achieve his or her own personal interest, defining administrative corruption as a breach of the honor of the job. He went over some of its causes, namely the absence of transparency rules in job selection, the absence of accountability, the prevalence of nepotism, weakness of religious faith, legislative gaps in regulations and laws, poor administrative organization, and the absence of political parties.
Hijazi explained the administrative means to combat corruption, the role of the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission in spreading patriotism ideals, and its investigative and preventive role in this regard.
As for the third topic of the symposium, revolving around the impact of administrative corruption on the Jordanian economy, Assistant Professor at the School of Business, Dr. Raad Al-Tal, explained how corruption impedes the development of administrative and economic movements in countries and reduces the standards of governance, a result that is reflected in overall productivity.
Finally, Assistant Professor at the School of Law, Dr. Hadeel Al-Zoubi, who moderated the symposium which was attended by the dean of the school, Dr. Muhammad Amin Al-Nasser, said that the symposium aimed to consolidate the partnership between the school and the Commission in order to strengthen the integrity system - a requirement for sustainable development in all sectors.