[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 196 (Monday, December 9, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1562]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          ANTI-CORRUPTION DAY

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 9, 2019

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, today is International 
Anti-Corruption Day, recognizing the need for governments and civil 
societies around the world to be vigilant in the fight against bribes 
and abuse of power for personal gain.
  According to the United Nations, every year $1 trillion is paid in 
bribes while an estimated $2.6 trillion are stolen through corruption, 
more than five percent of global GDP.
  No more is this on clearer display today than across the Middle East, 
which is witnessing a revival of the 2011 Arab Spring protests in 
places like Lebanon, Iraq, Iran and in towns and cities across Syria. 
Peaceful protesters are demanding an end to abusive policies and 
practices by government officials who seek little else than their own 
profit--always at the expense of the peoples' fundamental rights. The 
persistence of protestors today despite increasingly violent government 
responses indicates a point of no return. The brazen willingness to 
sacrifice their lives signals just how precarious these citizens' lives 
have become under their governments.
  Syria is ground zero for what happens when corrupt governments refuse 
reform and respond to peaceful demands with violence. The Assad regime 
continues to leech Syrians of their basic human rights, uprooting their 
lives, indiscriminately bombing his own people, and deliberately 
starving them while blaming the United States and other Western states 
for the dismal conditions of his country and the Syrian people. And all 
for the sake of protecting the power and interests of corrupt officials 
who are part of the Assad network, including Fahd Darwish, Samer Al-
Debbes, Samir Anis Hassan, Samer Awees, Kanaan Kanaan, Tamim Badr, 
Mahran Khonda, Osama Ali Zayoud, Iyad Habib Baytnjaneh, Tarif Akhras, 
and Fares Shehabi, among others. The United States must target these 
individuals for exposure and sanctions for their corruption and theft 
from the Syrian people.
  And in response to these widespread cries for change, the United 
States must continue to pursue a relentless campaign against corruption 
everywhere. Without such accountability, perpetrators within and 
partners of corrupt governments will boldly continue, extending the 
suffering of innocent civilians around the world. If the United States 
does not demonstrate its commitment with action, nefarious actors and 
businessmen around the world will feel emboldened to engage in corrupt 
practices. On International Anti-Corruption Day, we must stand with 
those calling out for change.

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