ACC used against democracy: Shafique

Law minister Shafique Ahmed on Tuesday said that the Anti-Corruption Commission was used against democracy by an influential quarter during the two-year tenure of the immediate past interim government.
The army-led joint forces had arrested and sued political leaders in anti-graft drives under the commission during the period to prove that democracy was dysfunctional and the politicians were thoroughly corrupt, the minister said after a meeting with the visiting EU Troika at the ministry.
‘We have told the EU Troika that the ACC could not function properly during the tenure of the immediate past caretaker government for influences from outside. Everybody, from its chairman to officials in other posts, worked in collaboration with the joint forces to prove that politicians are corrupt and democracy cannot function,’ Shafique Ahmed, a technocrat minister, told reporters at his office.
Replying to a question, he said the entire activities of the ACC during the period of Fakhruddin Ahmed were questionable and the parliamentary standing committee has now taken measures to look into the activities of the anti-graft body.
The eight-member delegation from the European Union led by deputy minister for Asia of the foreign affairs ministry of the Czech Republic, Helena Bambasova, discussed about the activities of the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Election Commission, the Parliament, repeal of the fifth amendment to the constitution and the government’s planned trial of war crimes.
They also wanted to know about the latest development, if there was any, in passing a law on the Law Commission which was constituted by the interim government.
Shafique Ahmed, however, stated that the Election Commission had proved that it could function independently, through holding the national elections.
About the alleged irregularities in the elections to local government bodies under the administration of the present government, he said the complaints were under investigation and the district judges concerned were made responsible to look into the matter.
The law minister informed the EU Troika that corruption charges brought against the present prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, and the leader of the opposition in parliament, Khaleda Zia, were politically motivated, according to meeting sources.
He said, businessman Azam J Chowdhury was detained by joint forces and was forced to file an extortion case against Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina. Many such cases were filed during the time against politicians to show that democracy was dysfunctional, he added.
The law minister said that the bill on the Law Commission would be placed in the current session of the parliament for approval with retrospective effective.
He said the ACC is now operating independently under the Awami League-led government which took over in early January. ‘It will not be influenced by any quarters during the tenure of this government,’ the minister, a lawyer by profession, assured.
Sahfique Ahmed reiterated that trial of war crimes would be conducted in a transparent manner and the convicts would have the opportunity to appeal to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against the verdict.
‘War crime charges would not be framed against anybody on political considerations…Those who were involved in crimes against humanity during the country’s war of independence in 1971 will face trial,’ he said.

Courtesy of NewAgebd