The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) received 50 graft-related complaints last year, of which 28 were anonymous. The figures were released during a meeting of the National Anti-Corruption Council on January 31.

ACU head Om Yentieng said that of the 50 complaints, 27 had been investigated.

“ACU also wrote 15 letters to the concerned institutions to clarify the allegations, 22 summonses to attend meetings with the institutions, attached 23 referral documents, and issued one letter of intervention,” he said.

Yentieng said that last year the ACU monitored various examinations – including secondary school and judicial exams – six times and conducted five training courses on legal and general skills, both inside and outside the unit, to improve the capacity of officials in performing their work effectively.

The council appreciated the active participation and support of civil servants in the past year, which it said has reduced inactivity and corruption significantly, but urged the ACU to do more to address graft-related issues.

“We request that the ACU provide a more detailed report to the public on the complaints to avoid a misunderstanding that they are not being investigated,” the council said.

San Chey, executive director of the NGO Affiliated Network for Social Accountability, said there are various methods for the ACU to evaluate its effectiveness.

He noted that besides its own assessment, rankings of corruption levels in Cambodia by international organisations also partially reflect the effectiveness of this institution.

“If the corruption index remains high, it can be concluded that there are still shortcomings in anti-corruption measures and it is likely that this unit’s strategic plan is still limited when compared to the corruption still being committed,” Chey said, apparently referring to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.