Peruvian Congressional Ethics Committee Looks at Improving and Enforcing Regulations

In a Congress where nearly 25 percent of its members are being investigated or tried for ethics violations, the work of Peru’s newly-formed Ethics Committee’s to educate members and enforce regulations is critical. 

To support Peru’s new committee, IRI sponsored a workshop for members who serve on the ethics committee and their staffs.  The workshop was led by Bill O’Reilly, former chief council and staff director of the U.S. House Ethics Committee.  O’Reilly, who served on the House Ethics Committee from 2006-2008, managed the committee’s oversight and investigative responsibilities and coordinated ethics education and training by committee staff. 

During the workshop, O’Reilly shared his experiences in ethics committee structures, jurisdiction, ethics rules and investigation procedures.  Ethics Committee Chairman Humberto Lay has shown great interest in integrating international legislative ethics models into Peruvian regulations.  When O’Reilly presented a copy of the U.S. House Ethics Rules Manual, a massive book hundreds of pages thick, Chairman Lay commented that there is a long road ahead in revising the 16-page manual that currently regulates Peru’s legislative ethics. 

Since last October when the committee was formed, they have been focused on evaluating the gaps in current legislative ethics regulations.  As the committee becomes more active, they will look to train all members of congress on legislative ethics that encourage accountability, transparency and responsible representation.