On 1 January, the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) took over the investigative and operational functions of the Internal Security Directorate of the State Revenue Service (SRS). The transfer of functions implies that the KNAB will henceforth be a law enforcement body investigating corruption offences committed by persons employed by the SRS.
Until then, pre-trial investigations into alleged corruption-related offences committed by persons employed by the SRS were carried out by the Internal Security Directorate of the SRS. SRS undergoes a reform to separate the detection and investigation functions from the service provider functions. This reform provides, inter alia, for the KNAB to further investigate alleged corruption offences committed by SRS employees.
The changes foresee the take-over of 16 posts in the KNAB, with funding for remuneration and maintenance, as well as the necessary material assets. KNAB also takes over the departmental inspection cases of the Internal Security Directorate of the SRS, criminal proceedings, applications, operational records, nomenclature files and physical evidence.
To ensure a successful transfer of functions, KNAB participated in the SRS reform working group as well as in the inter-institutional commissions. KNAB has taken the necessary steps to take over the record-keeping files, criminal proceedings, operational activity files and material, technical and other related resources, and has agreed with SRS on further cooperation in the fight against corruption. The process of taking over the functions must be fully completed by 31 January. KNAB confirms that all necessary actions are currently in place to ensure the continuity of the investigation during the transfer of functions.