This program brief complements the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Anticorruption Strategy (2005) and the USAID Rule of Law Strategic Framework (2008) by providing basic information for USAID officers about key concepts and best practices for combating judicial corruption. The brief proceeds from the Anticorruption Strategy’s call for anticorruption goals and activities to be incorporated into sector-specific strategies and programs. And while it provides guidance based on global lessons, it starts from the premise that efforts to combat corruption in the judiciary, like other development activities, need to be based on the circumstances of each country and be integrated into efforts to improve the performance of essential functions in this sector. The brief also reflects the guidance of the Rule of Law Strategic Framework that the rule of law incorporates five essential elements, all of which must be present for the rule of law to prevail, and that judicial integrity is an important issue that cuts across all five elements.
