Libyan forces laying siege to Isis militants in Sirte have appealed to western governments to provide weapons to help secure victory over the group after making a series of quick advances over the weekend. – Financial Times
Egypt's parliament approved on Sunday the appointment of a former prosecutor as the new anti-corruption chief, state news agency MENA said, less than a week after his predecessor went on trial accused of making up lies about the scale of the problem. - Reuters
“Three reasons why attacking Egypt’s top auditor is bad news” (Marwa Fatafta, Transparency International)
“The character assassination and prosecution of the head of Egypt’s strongest oversight body is a dangerous step for three reasons. First, it shows yet again that the Egyptian government has no real political will to fight corruption despite previous promises. They should. Egyptian citizens are frustrated with the government’s lack of serious effort to stop the widespread corruption in the country. In a recent survey released in May this year, 58 per cent of Egyptians believe that the government is performing badly on this front. Second, such move deeply undermines the independence of Egypt’s regulatory bodies. The Central Audit Organisation is the strongest watchdog institution in the country and scored the highest among 13 pillars of society studied in Transparency International’s National Integrity System report. The report looked at the strengths and weaknesses of Egypt’s institutions. The strength of the Central Audit Organisation stems from its independence, which is enshrined in the Egyptian constitution. The removal of its head by presidential degree is also an explicit infringement of the constitution. It weakens the organisation’s independence and credibility, and hinders its key function to detect and report corruption. Third, targeting Geneina signals an escalation of a wider suppressive crackdown on Egyptian civil society, activists and concerned citizens. By prosecuting the country’s top anti-corruption fighter for merely doing his job, the Egyptian government is reinforcing its power to limit transparency or accountability to its citizens.”