Bangladesh News

The cabinet yesterday decided to review the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Act, 2004 and bring four longstanding proposed amendments to strengthen the law and make it more effective.

ACC Secretary Khandaker M Asaduzzaman confirmed The Daily Star about the cabinet decisions.

However, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed at his secretariat office said the government would not bring basic changes to the Act.

Sources say the cabinet had earlier instructed the anti-graft watchdog to scrutinise its Act and forward a list of recommendations.

The law minister said the cabinet agreed to most of the proposals, which would be tabled as bills before parliament and sent to the parliamentary standing committee for examination.

The ACC has proposed to appoint more workforces to deal with the corruption cases against government officials, the minister said. The government has not agreed with this proposal, as dealing with such cases is the duty of ACC, he added.

The four proposed amendments include the commission’s authority to seek assistance or expertise from any government or government-controlled organisation if it desires.

The cabinet yesterday approved in principle amendment to the ACC law with a lenient provision granting logical time for self-defence to an accused in corruption case or a corruption-suspect before incarcerating them.

Another proposed amendment is making it mandatory for making ACC a party in the cases filed by it and challenged in the higher courts.

The cabinet made the decisions at its regular meeting held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Reaffirming to her government’s commitment to make ACC much stronger and effective in dealing with corruption, Hasina asked the authorities concerned to be careful so that none is “harassed in the name of curbing corruption”.

The cabinet however disagreed to cancel the section 408 from the ACC schedule that empowers the commission to investigate corruption of private companies.

The amendment proposal has been pending from January 26 as the cabinet sent back the proposals to ACC for review and scrutiny.