Despite widespread criticism, President Abdul Hamid has signed a much-talked-about bill into law that introduced a controversial provision curtailing the Anti-Corruption Commission’s authority to file graft charges against the government officials on its own.
From now on, the anti-graft body will require the government permission to file corruption cases against the public officials. This means the government officials will be enjoying a special protection from graft charges.
Yesterday at around 12:30am, the president inked the bill passed by the Jatiya Sangsad on November 10 to amend the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Act, 2004 to introduce the controversial provision, sources in the parliament secretariat said.
Officials of the parliament secretariat went to the Bangabhaban, office-cum-residence of the president, with the ACC amendment bill and some other files, sources added.
The secretariat yesterday published a gazette notification, completing the procedure for the introduction of the provision.
The government’s move to bring in this provision through the bill placed at the parliament in February 2011 sparked a storm of criticism. Different non-government organisations, civil society members, donor agencies and the country’s development partners had expressed their concerns. Finance Minister AMA Muhith himself had opposed the provision proposed in the bill.
The ACC itself strongly opposed the provision, terming it unconstitutional.
Scrutinising the bill, the parliamentary standing committee on the law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry also recommended that the House scrap the proposed provision.
But nothing could prevent the government from introducing the provision to the benefit of the government officials.
After passage of the bill, development partners have expressed concern. The ACC boss has termed the provision unconstitutional as it gives a section of people special legal protection.
On November 17, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) sent a letter to the Bangabhaban, appealing to the president not to consent to the bill.
The anti-corruption watchdog agency also requested the president to exercise his constitutional authority to send the bill back to the Jatiya Sangsad for reconsideration.
“We are disappointed at the president’s consent to the bill,” TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman told The Daily Star yesterday. “This provision will make many public servants more crime prone.”
-With The Daily Star input
