Syria Government Approves anti-Corruption Law

As civil war raged and the economy was in paralysis, Syria's government has approved a draft anti-corruption law, state news agency SANA said on Wednesday.

A bill on "illicit gains" was approved as part of "the government's policy to fight corruption" and because of "the dangerous character of crimes" linked to corruption, said SANA.

The criminal court will hand out prison sentences and fines to those who break the law, said the agency, without elaborating.

President Bashar Assad has yet to approve the law.

In 2012, Syria came 144th out of 176 countries tallied by Transparency International.

At the start of a protest movement against Assad in March 2011, the regime promised to "take measures against corruption."