Minister of Justice Meets Head of the Italian National Anti-Corruption Authority

SadaNews - Minister of Justice Counselor Sharhabil Al-Zaeem met today in his office with Dr. Gaspy Busay, the head of the Italian National Anti-Corruption Authority, accompanied by the Secretary-General of the Italian Anti-Corruption Authority, Mr. Filippo Romano, Italian Deputy Consul Dr. Dimano Laverdy, and Project Twinning Team Leader Mr. Gurado Fagoni. The meeting was attended from the Palestinian side by the Deputy Minister of Justice Counselor Ahmed Dhbalah, Deputy Head of the Anti-Corruption Authority Dr. Jamal Al-Qash, Advisor to the Head of the Authority Said Shahada, and work teams from both sides. Many issues of mutual interest and efforts in the field of governance, transparency, and anti-corruption were discussed. The Minister of Justice thanked the Italian government for their continuous support to the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights, expressing his appreciation for the Italian people, who have shown humanitarian support for the rights of the Palestinian people ahead of their government. He provided a brief overview of the government’s efforts to enhance integrity and transparency and combat corruption, noting that the government reform program is based on several pillars, including governance and the rule of law, providing better services to citizens in the fields of economy, investment, and public finance, in addition to the role of the Ministry of Justice in being close to the Palestinian citizen and the idea of establishing a legislative platform that restores the citizen's right to express their opinion on the regulations and legislation prepared by governmental bodies and institutions. He clarified that the draft law on the right to access information is currently undergoing public consultations with civil society institutions and is proposed on the legislative platform in preparation for approval before the end of the current year. He pointed out that the draft law for data protection and the draft law on cybercrime are still in the public consultation phase and are likely to be approved by the government before the end of the current year. The Minister of Justice confirmed that the Palestinian government adopts a transparency approach in its procedures and that the same will be applied in the Gaza Strip regarding reconstruction, which will be carried out with full integrity and transparency under strict supervision. It is noteworthy that the delegation of the Italian Anti-Corruption Authority is visiting Palestine in a series of official meetings aimed at learning about the Palestinian experience in integrity, governance, and anti-corruption, within the framework of the twinning project with the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Authority. The head of the Italian authority expressed his appreciation for the Palestinian efforts made to enhance governance and transparency, showing readiness to cooperate and provide the necessary support and expertise to develop Palestinian mechanisms for promoting transparency.