“For corruption to be fought in Yemen, it will not only require the committee to do their duty, but it will require all citizens to feel the responsibility of fighting corruption in Yemen, and the importance it will have in our life. In the end, the poor will benefit the most when corruption is gone.”

YP: Are there any obstacles faced by The Supreme National Anti Corruption  Committee (SNACC)?

ST: Naturally there are some difficulties in the work of our committee. The first is that it was newly established  only nine months ago. Secondly, we still don’t have a permanent office that can hold our staff. We don't have the power to employee enough staff to carry out this task.

YP: What is the percentage of corruption cases that the committee has been able to solve?

ST: Our concern is about the importance of those cases that come and results we give, not the quantity. We have some high-profile cases which have been published in the press including those of the Ministry of Electricity and Ministry of Water. Still, some other cases are in the prosecution. 

YP: How many cases of corruption did the committee deal with until today, and were they major corruption cases?

ST: I do not have a record of cases that the committee has resolved, but I would say that we should focus on how important those cases are. Some of them are resolved quite easily, and some are still under investigation. In other cases, we are still waiting for clarifications from the concerned parties in many cases.    

YP:  Are there red lines that the committee cannot pass? In other words, do you think that there are cases the committee doesn’t have the authority to deal with?

ST: Until now we have not dealt with very dangerous cases, and we have not come to the cases with red lines yet. Right now there is nothing on the table that could be in the danger zone. We have not dealt with anything that is the above ministerial level.

YP: Hussain Al-Ahmer in his interview with the Yemen Post mentioned that your authority is limited, and said that the committee is not able to stop the theft of the oil wealth happening in Yemen?

ST: To hear people talk about the anti-corruption committee seems somewhat  risky, because it is still in its beginning stages. The Yemen anti-corruption law is quite expanded. The value here is that whether we are able to use the right procedures in order to accomplish the committee's aims or not. Our committee is independent and it was elected by parliament. Further, its task is to fight corruption wherever it exists.

YP: Observers say that there are some cases that you can't investigate?

ST: This is wrong, and we have full authority to investigate all cases. In cases dealing with high ranking officials we will directly have them stand in front of parliament, and let parliament members be the judges.

YP: We noticed that there is no public enthusiasm towards the committee, because people believe that it is only a formal committee. Were you able to change the people's point of view, or do you think that it is still early to show fruitful results?

ST: I want people to understand that we need time to show that we will do our job in helping fight corruption, and currently I can say that I'm happy that the  committee has not made big mistakes in order to make the public go against them.

YP: What's your opinion towards the opposition's criticism towards corruption issues? Is it logical, and does it concern you?

ST: Any report published by the press about corruption or any kind of criticism which is right will function as a message for the authority to play a greater role in this respect and strengthens the integrity between the committee and the opposition, as well as affirming media’s role in making people understand the importance of fighting corruption.

YP: The Anti Corruption Committee has been through great pressure from the public, but can you tell us how many people work for the committee throughout the country?

ST: We only have nine employees who work with us, and we do not have the capacity to hire more employees at the moment.

YP: So how can you fight corruption in a big country with only nine members?

ST: As I mentioned we are still in the beginning and we will grow by time.

YP: Do you have any branches in the different governorates?

ST: We have not started on that yet, and our focus now is to completely facilitate the Sana'a branch before we can think of growing.

YP: Why hasn’t the committee stepped up to help locals from the southern governorates, and ease the tension between them and the government?

ST: If those people believe they have rights, why don’t they approach us and ask us to help them fight for their demands ? We have not yet received any case from southern governorates and we will not refuse or turn down any case that comes to us.

YP: Did the anti corruption committee be established to really help fight corruption in Yemen, or was it to please foreign organizations who fund Yemen like the World Bank? 

ST: Establishing the committee is part of  practical steps Yemen announced for developing the country system. It isn't only the World Bank who has this agenda to support combating corruption in Yemen, but also most donors have programs to support fighting corruption and support us.

YP: Can you explain to us what is the financial statement that you have been demanding all officials to hand in to the committee?

ST: We have asked all government officials to hand in documents and bank statements of all their belongings in order for us to keep them under censorship.

YP: So you are expected to receive over 30,000 statements, because there are at least that many officials in the country.

ST: Yes you are correct, and I predict that most of them, if not all will hand in the statement. 

YP: You mentioned that your staff is only nine, so how can your incredibly small staff read and investigate 30,000 financial statements that will be given to you by officials?

ST: We have to start somewhere and even though our staff is limited, that does not mean we quit. We will work with what we have in order to achieve our goals.

YP: When is the deadline for government officials to hand in their financial statements?

ST: There is no specified time that the committee has announced as a deadline for officials to hand in their financial statement. For those officials who do not hand in their financial documents and statement when we announce the deadline, we will refer them to parliament. 

YP: Over the last couple of months, the committee started programs to train and educate governmental employees on fighting corruption? What are the benefits of these programs? How were the trainees chosen?

ST: We want to expand our capacity to different places in the government's institutions. We believe that when we train staff, it will help in making our job easier. Recently, and with the cooperation of the World Bank we completed a training program for governmental employees on how to make a complete investigation and the techniques to use.

YP: What is the fate of those corrupt officials who do not cooperate?

ST: I agree with the notion that the best way to end corruption is to implement the law. Those who are corrupt must be an example for the rest of the people, and must be fought and will stand in front of court. 

YP: Do you have any final comments?

ST: Corruption in Yemen is rooted, and we will need time in order for us to completely combat corruption. Corruption has reached a stage where it hurts the entire country. The real victims of corruption are the poor. Corruption is preventing the Yemeni economy from rising into a productive economy. It is one of the major obstacles to investment.