DOHA: Qatar is taking its dogged fight against corruption to its university education system as Qatar University has announced it planned to incorporate studies about how to combat corruption and eradicate the evil from its social milieu, into its curriculum at all levels.
The university has also announced it hoped to set up a permanent chair dedicated to studies concerning fighting corruption and its incumbent will be appointed later. The announcement was made at the conclusion of a seminar on anti-corruption at the university’s law faculty and star speaker was the Attorney-General, Dr Ali bin Futais Al Marri.
Al Marri told the seminar Qatar has a very stringent anti-corruption law and no one except The Emir, H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and the Heir Apparent, H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, are immune.
Everyone except the Emir and the Heir Apparent found embroiled in a case of alleged corruption can be prosecuted under the above law, said the attorney-general. He said there are cases of alleged corruption with the Public Prosecution and so far no one has ever tried to put any kind of pressure on the Prosecution to brush a case under the carpet. “I challenge that there has never ever been an attempt by anyone howsoever influential to pressure us to go soft on a complaint of alleged corruption,” said Al Marri.
The fight against corruption must begin from family and society and from there it should go to schools and colleges, he said in his lecture. Corruption, according to Al Marri, is in human blood so cannot be eradicated 100 percent. But it can be fought.
“The fight against corruption should begin with one’s upbringing,” he said amidst thunderous applause. Many countries in the world are rich and resourceful but they have widespread poverty because of corruption, he said.
Qatar is considered to be the richest country in the world based on its high per capita income but the fact is that it ranks 59th in the world in terms of wealth. “There are 58 countries in the world that are richer than Qatar.”
“We have a long way to go as far as our fight against corruption is concerned,” said Al Marri. The Prosecution Department, he said, has 100 employees, some 18 of whom are foreigners, including Arabs.
The Peninsula
