DOHA: The Qatari media is being encouraged to do investigative reporting and focus on allegations of corruption in public places or elsewhere.
This is evident from the fact that a key anti-corruption watchdog working directly under Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has been asked to pay heed to local media reports of complaints and accusations regarding alleged corruption.
The Administrative Control and Transparency Authority (ACTA) has issued a clear-cut directive for paying attention to media coverage, including investigative reports, of allegations of misuse of public resources as well as official mismanagement and negligence.
The Authority is being restructured on the orders of the Emir. It was first set up in 2011 vide an Emiri decree.
On Wednesday, a new Emiri decree (Number 6 of 2015) ordered its restructuring.
Funds to operate the Authority are to be allocated by the government annually and if the Authority needs extra resources to carry out its duties, its chairman can make a request to the Emir directly, says Article 12 of the decree.
Article 14 makes it binding on all agencies and departments falling under the purview of the Authority to provide it information and data requested by it.
If need be, ACTA, which now has a new chairman, can seek help from experts and technicians to carry out its work and investigate any alleged wrongdoing.
However, the Authority will be a transparent entity and the Emir will directly appoint an auditor to monitor its accounts and expenses.
The chairman of the Authority will report directly to the Emir and present an annual statement of account and achievements every year.THE PENINSULA
