肯尼亚外交部长涉嫌地产丑闻下台Kenya FM Steps Aside in Property Scandal
肯尼亚外交部长摩西·韦坦古拉说他将辞职，以便调查人员可以调查一个有关他主持的外交部涉嫌外交财产的丑闻。星期三韦坦古拉对记者们表示，他暂时离 职，以便当局调查。这位外交部长说他自己是无辜的，没有作错任何事情。他还预言他会复职的。星期三早些时候，肯尼亚外交部常任秘书姆万吉也因同一丑闻辞 职。
肯尼亚议员正就一份报告进行辩论。这份报告指称外交部官员在涉及肯尼亚驻巴基斯坦、埃及、比利时、日本和尼日利亚使馆的有问题的地产交易中导致肯尼亚损失数百万美元。这份报告要求这两位官员就腐败的指控接受审判。
肯 尼亚的反腐败和经济犯罪法要求受到腐败指控的官员离职，直到指控被证明无罪之后才能复职。如果他们不离职，法律要求总统中止他们的职务。尽管肯尼亚政府一 再誓言要打击腐败问题，但是腐败现象仍然十分普遍。根据监督腐败的透明国际星期二公布的2010年腐败印象指数，肯尼亚的清廉度在180个国家中排名第 154位。
Kenya's foreign minister says he is stepping aside so investigators can examine a foreign property scandal involving his ministry.Moses Wetangula told reporters Wednesday that he will temporarily leave his post to make room for the investigation. The foreign minister said he is innocent of any wrongdoing, and predicted that he will return.Earlier Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Thuita Mwangi also stepped aside because of the scandal.
Lawmakers are debating a report that says foreign ministry officials cost Kenya millions of dollars in questionable property deals involving the country's embassies in Pakistan, Egypt, Belgium, Japan and Nigeria.The report called for both officials to stand trial on corruption charges.
Kenya's Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act requires public officials facing corruption charges to step aside until the charges are cleared. President Mwai Kibaki would otherwise be required by law to suspend them.Kenya has been plagued by widespread corruption despite repeated government vows to deal with the problem.Corruption watchdog Transparency International ranked Kenya 154th out of 180 countries in its 2010 corruption perceptions index, released Tuesday.