Cabinet approves amended Anti-Corruption Commission law

The cabinet Monday approved in principle amendment to the Anti-Corruption Commission law with a lenient provision granting logical time for self-defense to an accused in corruption case or a corruption suspect before incarcerating them.
At its regular meeting held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, the cabinet gave the approval to the Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Act 2004, under which many high-profile persons were held on graft charges during massive anticorruption drives under the past emergency regime without allowing ad-interim remedies.
Reaffirming her government’s commitment to make the ACC much stronger and effective in dealing with corruption, Sheikh Hasina in the meeting asked the authorities concerned to be careful so that none is “harassed in the name of curbing corruption”.
“Inshallah, we’ll be able to remove corruption from society. But, at the same time, we will have to remain careful so that innocent people are not harassed,” she was quoted as saying by her Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad.
At a post-meeting briefing in the PID conference room Azad said one provision of the amended ACC law says: “The Commission will have to include it if anyone in any stage of case or proceedings seeks redress from court. If he/she seeks bail, the commission has to arrange hearing, giving logical time.”
The Article 408 described in the schedule © of the ACC Act 2004 stands abolished and the word ‘inquiry’ replaces the word ‘investigation’ in the Article 26 as regards property.
Another proposed provision in the changed law says the Article 23 (3) needs to be incorporated after the Article 23(2) which will ensure that the particular government organization helps the commission if it wants to include skilled, experienced and expert officials from any government or government-controlled organization and authority.
Asked why the cabinet has taken a long time to approve the amended act after it was placed earlier at the January 26 cabinet meeting, Abul Kalam Azad said the panel lawyers of the commission had to take some time for discussion among themselves as “some weak points” in the act were identified when it was applied.

Courtesy of The Bangladesh Today