“The new government reiterated its goal of tackling corruption, but amongst the new ministers are three under criminal investigation for corruption. In its July recommendations, the Commission set out its expectation that ministers set an example in respect of integrity issues: the same should be expected in respect of corruption charges,” the EC said.
It is essential for the credibility of a government that its representatives enjoy the confidence of the public and step down when integrity agency ANI issues reports against them, the Commission added.
“Those in positions of power must demonstrate high standards of integrity. In addition, where judicial authorities find that this is not the case, failure to respond to judicial decisions also implies a lack of respect for the rule of law. In its July report, the Commission was concerned that both the government and the Parliament did not fully respect this principle,” reads the document.