Transparency demand after Seco corruption affair
The organization Öffentlichkeitsgesetz.ch accuses the administration of seeking to further curtail the fundamental right to information. It demands the uncompromising implementation of the Freedom of Information Act.
The General Secretaries' Conference (GSK) wants to subject the Public Access Act, which has been in force since 2006, to an extraordinary review. According to a press release from the association, it is inspection units in the administration that want to be exempted from the Public Access Act Publicity law.ch from Saturday.
The corruption affair at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) shows how important a well-functioning public disclosure law is, according to the press release. For months, Seco had refused to disclose the private contracts. However, Seco's internal supervisory body did not get to the bottom of the matter. It was only the media that brought the case of corruption to light.
Instead of discussing restrictions to the Public Access Act, the administration should press ahead with implementing the existing law in order to promote the transparency of administrative activities, as envisaged by Parliament, the association demands.
