Following the strip of its power and duties as of last year, the Federal Ethics and Anti- Corruption Commission has been ordered to leave its headquarter.
The order is come from the Office of the Prime Minister. Specifically, a letter signed by Alemayehu Tegenu gave the direct order, The Reporter has learnt.
The commission, following its establishment in 2002, has been operating at its headquarters, located along Ras Mekonnen Street. The ten story building was first built to serve as an office for the Ethiopian Maritime Authority.
It is to be recalled that since the restructuring of the Commission and establishment of the Office of the Attorney General, a significant portion of power and responsibility of the Commission were stripped. The power, to investigate corruption related case, to receive complains and to charge criminals were taken from the Commission.
These responsibilities were transferred to the Office of the Attorney General and the Federal Police.
Following this the number of employees of the Commission, which was around 400 has decline to 240 and the Commission was left with the responsibility of teaching and research.
The Commission was also told to switch its headquarters with the newly re-established Federal Housing Corporation. The Corporation which is overseen by a board chaired by Alemayehu himself was first established during the Derg era as Agency for the Administration of Rented Houses. Back then, its prime responsibility to administer houses which were confiscated by the government as part of its Socialist ideology.
The new Corporation currently administers some 17,000.
In accordance to the new mandate, the Corporation now has a power to rent, renovate as well as build new houses. It was also said that it will build apartments.
Upon the permission from the Office of the Prime Minister, the Corporation is expected to re-locate its headquarters from Kasainchis to the Commission’s current office.
“I don’t think the office owned by Corporation will be fit for the Commission,” an official from the Commission whose name is withheld upon request, told The Reporter.
“We will soon hire new staff and we will have extensive training and learning programs,” the official said.
“So it will not be enough for us,” he said.
According to a number of sources, The Reporter has learnt that the Commission is also considering renting another building.
