Specialised anti-corruption courts – A comparative mapping 2022 update

Specialised anti-corruption courts – A comparative mapping

2022 update

Anti-corruption courts are an increasingly common feature of national anti-corruption reform strategies. By mid-2022 we counted 27 such courts across Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. Reasons for their creation include the resolution of backlogs but also concerns about the ability of ordinary courts to handle corruption cases impartially. While there are no definitive best practices for specialised anti-corruption courts, existing models and experience provide some guidance to reformers considering the creation of similar institutions.

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Main points

• There has been a steady increase in new specialised courts across Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe, totalling 27 in mid-2022. On average, two new courts were set up each year over the past decade.
• About half of the jurisdictions with anti-corruption courts have relatively simple specialisation at trial level. Appeals are handled by the general court system. There is also an increase in the number of comprehensive parallel systems with specialisation at both trial and appeal levels.
• The most common reason for the establishment of special anti-corruption courts is the need for greater efficiency in resolving corruption cases promptly, signalling to domestic and international observers that the country takes anti-corruption seriously.
• In some countries concerns about the ability of the ordinary courts to handle corruption cases impartially have also led to the decision to create anti-corruption courts. Special procedures, such as new approaches to screening judicial candidates, are put in place to ensure the anti-corruption courts’ integrity.
• Investments in the collection and accessibility of data are necessary to allow for a rigorous analysis of the anti-corruption courts’ role in reducing corruption and of possible spill-over effects on the overall court system.

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Selected by Virginie GASTINE MENOU