Cambodian officials required to declare assets

Some 100,000 government officials in Cambodia will be required to declare their assets this year in an effort to combat corruption, a senior official said Wednesday.
Under an anti-corruption law passed in March, any official found guilty of taking bribes could face up to 15 years in prison.

Cambodia, a poor country heavily dependent on foreign aid, is routinely listed by independent groups such as Transparency International as one of the most corrupt countries in Asia.

Om Yentieng, chairman of the government-appointed Anti-Corruption Unit, told reporters that it will require senior officials _ including civil servants and police officials _ to detail their assets by November.

Lawmakers and leaders of nongovernment organizations will be asked to declare their assets later, he said.

International donors have long pressed Cambodia to combat corruption.

In 2004, a study prepared for the U.S. Agency for International Development said that Cambodia lost an estimated $300 million to $500 million annually to various forms of corruption, although the government contests that graft is on such a large scale.

The anti-corruption law was first proposed 15 years ago but the government, unwilling to tackle the problem, dragged its feet on getting it passed. It remains to be seen if the asset declarations will be effective in monitoring officials. Government salaries are as low as $20 a month.