MFA Press Release: Transcript of Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Grace Fu's reply to the Parliamentary Question, 20 Jan 2015

QUESTION:

MR GAN THIAM POH: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he can provide an update on the measures and plans that will be implemented by Singapore and other APEC Members as part of the Beijing Declaration on Fighting Corruption agreed to at the 2014 APEC Ministerial Meeting.

REPLY:

Mdm Speaker,

                   The Beijing Declaration on Fighting Corruption, endorsed at the APEC Ministerial Meeting held in Beijing in November 2014, was a key deliverable of the APEC Anti-Corruption and Transparency Working Group (ACTWG). It reflected a collective commitment towards international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region on the fight against corruption. Singapore welcomed the Declaration, and is committed to play our part in areas such as mutual legal assistance, exchanges of best practices, as well as capacity-building amongst anti-corruption and law enforcement authorities.

2                 It is important to strengthen pragmatic anti-corruption efforts amongst APEC member economies as corrupt offences and the movement of illicitly acquired assets can be transnational in nature. Singapore has in place a framework for international cooperation with overseas legal, law enforcement and regulatory agencies. The Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act (MACMA) enables Singapore to provide mutual legal assistance to other jurisdictions, in relation to criminal investigations or criminal proceedings for offences covered by the Act. While we have legal instruments and other enforcement cooperation mechanisms in place to buttress Singapore’s commitment towards fulfilling our international obligations, we must also ensure that such undertakings do not undermine the integrity and sovereignty of our legal framework.

3                 A significant initiative noted in the Declaration was the establishment of the APEC Network of Anti-Corruption Authorities and Law Enforcement Agencies (ACT-NET) which is an informal network of anti-corruption and law enforcement practitioners from member economies to share information and exchange best practices. Singapore welcomed the formation of the ACT-NET and is committed to engage meaningfully to collaborate with, and learn from law enforcement authorities within the APEC community. CPIB represented Singapore at the first ACT-NET meeting in Beijing (August 2014), where members shared best practices on informal and formal requests from foreign counterparts for assistance relating to corruption cases. CPIB also participated in the first capacity building workshop on fugitive repatriation and asset recovery held in Beijing in December 2014.

4        The Beijing Declaration on Fighting Corruption also attaches great importance to capacity-building of anti-corruption and law enforcement authorities in the Asia-Pacific region. CPIB will continue to render cooperation and assistance to counterparts in areas such as personnel training, study visits, specific training in the areas such as financial investigation and computer forensic.

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