Significant Deeds Require Significant Time

December 26, 2017

Representing The AACI and participating as a panelist and keynote speaker, Mr. L. B. Files, president of The AACI, shared his insights and relevant expertise in Amman – Jordan on December 6, 2017, on the forum entitled: Governance and the Rule of Law and their Effects on Sustainable Development and Investment. Under the patronage of his Excellency Dr. Abdallah Ensour, the former prime minister, the forum was organized by the Law and Governance Center (LGC) in cooperation with The AACI.

Delivering his written speech, Mr. Filess announced that The AACI will include the Royal 6th Discussion Paper in its curriculum of the Certified Anti-Corruption Manager management credential. Starting January 2001, CACM candidates of the U.S.A, Canada, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Jordan, Palestine, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates should pass the CACM exam to be certified.

The speech of the president received extensive media coverage. Click here.

The following is an excerpt from the speech where you may download the entire statement when you click on the button below.

Amman, Jordan

06 December 2017

Before I begin, I wish to thank his Excellency Dr. Abdallah Ensour and the Law and Governance Center for their warm invitation. I also wish to celebrate their courage and vision on making this world a much better place for our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren.

The speech is titled Significant Deeds Require Significant Time – because that is the truth. What we are doing, here today, is a continuation of what I saw over three years ago on my last visit, and yet, here today we are just beginning.

But, first let us begin with a simple, universal, definition of corruption.

It is a person that misuses the trust of his employer or client and acts against his employer’s or client’s interests for his personal gain.

The reasons for the abuse of trust can be for personal profit or ideological reasons.

It can be a legislator passing “special laws” for a business, or a regulator taking a pay off to look the other way. Here the politician and the regulator have misused the trust of the people for their personal gain.

It can be a buyer for commercial construction project taking kickbacks from the suppliers for buying just their concrete, steel, wiring, lights, flooring. Here the buyer has abused the employer’s trust through paying too much for goods and services so the corporate buyer can make money from the kickbacks.

It can be the owner of a business taking those same kickbacks in cash – and everyone says – so who does it hurt? It hurts both the revenue authorities as the expenses on the seller’s side are inflated, and the buyer’s income is understated, and it would hurt any lender as there have now financed too much for a building that is not worth what it is purported to be. The business owner has abused the trust of the state and the bank.