FAL SPEAKS OUT ON CORRUPTION, FOLLOWING UP ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 000479 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/23/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PINR EAID KPAO MR SUBJECT: FAL SPEAKS OUT ON CORRUPTION, FOLLOWING UP ON EARLIER ANTI-CORRUPTION MOVES Classified By: Amb. Joseph LeBaron, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) -------------- (C) Key Points -------------- -- In a speech April 20 attended by governmental officials, political leaders, businessmen and the press, Colonel Fal called on all major elements of Mauritanian society to help stop Mauritania's long-standing problems of corruption and unfair practices. -- Fal said the government had already taken several positive steps, but that much more needed to be done. -- In a private meeting with Fal on April 7, Ambassador told Fal that the Embassy had been following the government's effort to reduce corruption. The Embassy had noted that corrupt practices had lessened, particularly at the airport and at traffic checkpoints in the capital and elsewhere, where police had routinely shaken down motorists. -- Ambassador said, however, that the Embassy continued to receive reports that corruption persists at the working level within the ministries. In a non-paper left with Fal, Ambassador encouraged Fal "to do even more within the ministries to make clear his stand against all forms of corruption." End Key Points. ¶1. (U) In a speech April 20, Colonel Fal called on government officials and businessmen to bring an end to Mauritania's long-standing problem of corruption. The speech, attended by numerous governmental officials, political leaders, businessmen and the press first focused on Mauritania's legacy of corruption, then offered three ways to address this legacy, before finally highlighting the positive steps taken by the government to date. -------------- THE SPEECH -------------- ¶2. (U) According to Fal, before the coup "each minister, each director, and each official thought that the institution he was leading was owned by his family, his tribe, or his clan." "The citizen who had to deal with these institutions thought that they were not dealing with the government of their country but with those persons in charge of these institutions," Fal said adding that "the attitude of our countrymen became warped." Fal concluded this point by saying that if preventative actions were not taken, "a nation with this kind of attitude would soon disappear." ¶3. (U) Fal said that to address these problems three steps must be taken: a) the press, civil society, and NGOs must be responsibly involved in the transition; b) controls must be reinforced to prevent fraud, theft, and corruption; c) competent people must be appointed and placed in the right positions. Fal continued that "each of us needs to take responsibility on this issue," and that "the government, NGOs, press, and political parties can play a big role in this by denouncing any cases of wrongdoing." ¶4. (U) Fal said the government had already taken several steps towards fighting corruption, including the creation of inspectors general in each ministry and the use of a merit-based system for government appointments based on "education, honesty, and commitment." "We have already found that hundreds of millions of ouguiyas were taken illegally," Fal said, adding that "we have also recovered one hundred government cars (that were being illegally used) and put them to use in the census." ¶5. (U) Fal added that Mauritanian businessmen needed to do more themselves to stamp out corruption, noting that "their practices with foreign businessman affect our efforts to attract foreign investment." "Many times when I talk to businessmen from other countries they tell me that they won,t invest in our country because their experiences with NOUAKCHOTT 00000479 002 OF 002 Mauritanian businessmen have not been successful," Fal said. ¶6. (U) Fal concluded the speech by saying that "Mauritania will be what you want her to be. No solutions will come from the sky." LeBaron