The African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption

Abstract

The African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, which was opened for signature in 2003, contains some innovative and valuable provisions, but also several unacceptable provisions that violate the presumption of innocence, make it too easy to disregard data privacy and threaten good-faith whistleblowers, among others. In addition, the translations are unsatisfactory, to the point that the texts in different languages are significantly different in substance and sometimes contradict one another. Parts of the English text are almost unintelligible. The Convention should be revised before it enters into force.