CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE _____________________________________________________________________ RENLAC document); the rest of the records showed “some correctable shortcomings”. The HACLC states: “The fact is undeniable; corruption does indeed exist in Burkina Faso. What is most lacking, is the political will to combat the phenomenon.” 8 313. The Audit Office, in its 2003 and 2004 reports on the management of public finances, revealed several malfunctions. It noted that the evidence given by the political parties in control of the use of subsidies granted to them by the state was not satisfactory in its entirety. MPs and ministers were still indebted to the state in the amount of more than CFAF 260 million contracted between 1992 and 2002. As a result of what appears to be increasing complacency on the part of the state, the CNLF emphasises that fraud is not sufficiently punished by the state. According to the coordinator, being a tax evader today is the most restful activity to carry out, and, when a swindler is in fact caught red-handed, he or she just has a small penalty to pay. And, with some interventions, he or she will escape the penalty as if he or she had done nothing. So, when the fraudster is not caught, he or she wins twice. According to the coordinator, as long as the state does not act more harshly with regard to fraud, it will continue. 9 314. RENLAC, for its part, has received 100 cases involving complaints of corruption. Of these, 30% relate to justice. Since RENLAC does not have the capacity to take legal action, unless it is directly concerned in a matter, it cannot produce successful results. In order to obtain better results, the network is currently setting up a legal council that will be able to present complaint cases in court. However, some cases of corruption dealt with during 2006 did produce successes, for example: the case of Cinkansé customs, which was denounced by the press; the case of the police station in Saaba, which led to the dismissal of the commissioner; the case of Ouargaye, where the accused gendarme was made to return the funds that had been taken illegally; the case of l’Ecole Nationale des Enseignants du Primaire (ENEP) Loumbila, where the general manager was relieved of duty; the case of the prefect of Yako, which resulted in his transfer; or the case of the billions misappropriated from the National Social Security Fund (CNSS), where the government commissioned an audit and dismissed the CEO. However, RENLAC has not only denounced malpractices, but it has also worked for the establishment of anti-corruption committees in some jurisdictions and public services. 315. Stakeholders whom the CRM met in the field missions confirmed the existence of the phenomenon of corruption and its growth over the years. They also denounced the ineffectiveness of the strategies and actions to fight corruption and have solicited the HACLC to implement a zero-tolerance policy in respect of corruption. 8 9 See RENLAC Report 2005, page 94. RENLAC Report 2007, page 46. 140