(TAP) – The new premises of the National Anti-Corruption Authority (French: INLUCC) located in the berges du Lac in Tunis was inaugurated Wednesday.

Present at the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said that the fight against corruption is not only the responsibility of the government and the Authority but commands combining efforts of the judiciary, the civil society , media and citizens to overcome this scourge. Because, he added, we can not overcome corruption after one year and half despite the emergence of a new culture in this sense.

Unlike the war on terror, the enemy in the fight against corruption is hidden, said the Prime Minister. The war against corruption will take a long time, he said, reviewing the government's efforts to develop legislation in this area.

Referring to the project launched by the government for the digitization of the administration, the lightening of administrative procedures and the reduction of the number of authorisations, the Prime Minister explained that the aim was to simplify relations between the administration and the citizens and to limit corruption. In this regard, he emphasised the role of INLUCC in spreading the anti-corruption culture despite the decline in the number of whistleblowers.

For his part, INLUCC President Chawki Tabib said that the war against corruption can not succeed with the means currently available to the authority, the control mechanisms, the Court of Auditors and the judiciary. He called on the government to invest in the fight against corruption and to provide the necessary means for the success of the war against corruption.

The spread of the scourge of corruption in the machinery of the state and the daily behaviour took years. Overcoming this scourge requires a little more time, solidarity and daring, Chawki Tabib argued.

A report on the indicators of corruption made by a survey company was presented on this occasion. The survey covers a sample of 605 people over 18 years old. The survey results show that bribery cases dropped from 27% last year to 21% in April. Cases of denunciation of bribes evolved to 13% against only 9% last year.

Took part in the inauguration ceremony of the new premises of the INLUCC, members of the government, politicians, representatives of national organisations and parties, deputies and presidents of several state institutions in addition to ambassadors and representatives of the donors.