Anti-Corruption: Anac Support for Palestine. Busia: “Ensuring Transparency in Reconstruction”

Anti-Corruption: Anac Support for Palestine. Busia: “Ensuring Transparency in Reconstruction”

Visit to Ramallah by the President of the Authority. Meeting with the Palestinian Minister of Justice

“The reconstruction of Palestine will bring an influx of foreign funds. Transparency in management and the prevention of corruption will be the challenge ahead of us. For this reason, we want to help the Palestinian Authority acquire the best practices that Anac has implemented in Italy and strengthen its administrative capabilities, including creating infrastructure for digitisation. This will also enable the Palestinian Authority to regain the trust of the population by restoring the credibility of Palestinian institutions”.

These were the words of Anac President Giuseppe Busìa during an official visit to the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) in Ramallah, Palestine, where he met with PACC Commissioner Raed Radwan and Palestinian Minister of Justice Sharhabeel Yousef Al Zaeem. 

The mission, which took place on Sunday 16 and Monday 17 November 2025, aimed to strengthen the ties between Italy and Palestine and between Anac and the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission. The two organisations are united by a twinning project assigned to Anac by the European Commission and launched in Ramallah in July 2023. The Italian delegation also included the Authority's Secretary General, Filippo Romano, and the Head of the Twinning Project, Corrado Faggioni.

Of the various meetings held by the Italian delegation, one of particular significance was that with the Palestinian Minister of Justice, Sharhabeel Yousef Al Zaeem.
Also in attendance were the Italian Deputy Consul in Jerusalem, Damiano La Verde, and on the Palestinian side, the Deputy Minister of Justice, Councillor Ahmed Dabbalh; the Deputy President of the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Authority, Jamal Qash; the Advisor to the President of the Authority, Saeed Shehadeh; and members of the two working teams.

Issues of common interest and joint efforts in the fields of governance, transparency, and the fight against corruption were discussed during the meeting.

The Minister of Justice thanked Italy for its constant support for the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights. He also expressed his gratitude to the Italian people, who had shown humanity and solidarity in support of the rights of the Palestinian people. He also briefly outlined the government's efforts to promote integrity, transparency and the fight against corruption, emphasising that the government reform programme is based on various pillars, including: governance and the rule of law, improving services offered to citizens in the areas of the economy, investment and public finance. He also highlighted the role of the Ministry of Justice in strengthening its proximity to citizens and promoting the idea of the legislative platform, which gives citizens the right to express their opinions on regulations and legislation prepared by government bodies.

He explained that the draft law on the right to obtain information is currently undergoing public consultation with civil society organisations and is published on the legislative platform with a view to its approval before the end of the year. He added that the draft legislative decree on the protection of personal data and the draft decree on cybercrime are still undergoing public consultation, with likely approval by the government before the end of the year.
The Minister reiterated that the Palestinian government adopts a transparency-based approach in its procedures, and that the same principle will be applied in the reconstruction sector in the Gaza Strip, which will be implemented with the utmost integrity, transparency and under strict control.
Anac President Busìa expressed his appreciation for Palestinian efforts to strengthen governance and transparency, expressing his willingness to collaborate and provide the support and expertise necessary to develop good practices and infrastructure for transparency.

The Italian delegation’s meeting with the President of the Palestinian Court of Auditors (State Audit and Administrative Control Bureau), Amal Faraj, was also significant.
The meeting aimed to strengthen cooperation and learn more about the Palestinian experience in the areas of integrity, governance and the fight against corruption.
The President emphasised the complementary relationship between the Court of Auditors and the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Authority, highlighting the importance of their joint work in promoting transparency and integrity in public management. She also illustrated the work of the Bureau, the audit reports issued, the number of complaints handled during the year and the procedure for delivering the annual report to the competent bodies, highlighting the importance of publishing the reports for public consultation.
Jamal Qash, the Vice-President of the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Authority, confirmed that this visit forms part of efforts to strengthen the partnership with the Court of Auditors. It is also the result of a recommendation by the Authority to present the role and importance of the institution, as well as the integration of their work.

The meeting was also attended by the Head of the Twinning Project and Adviser to the President of the Authority, Saeed Shehadeh; the Head of the Authority's International Cooperation Unit, Sireen Awawdeh; the Project Coordinator, Jumana Dababseh; and the Italian Project Coordinator, Mohammad Allahham. Representing the Court of Auditors were the Director General of the Bureau, A. Jafal Jafal; the Director General of Financial and Administrative Affairs, Ismat Abu Rabee’; the Director General of Legal Affairs, A. Mohammad Manasra; and the Head of the Public Relations Unit, Lana Assi.

During his visit to Palestine, President Busia also met with Ammar Dwaik, the Director General of the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR), and Alexandre Stutzmann, the Representative of the European Union Delegation to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.