Consensus reached on making ACC free from political influence: Ali Riaz

National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Prof Ali Riaz today (28 July) said that political parties have reached a consensus on the need to strengthen the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and free it from political influence.

While briefing the media after discussion, he said representatives of all political parties and alliances have expressed positive views on the proposal made by the Commission for Reforming Anti-Corruption to include the ACC in the Constitution through a new article, aimed at curbing corruption within a framework of transparency and accountability.

However, during the discussions, some participants recommended modifications to the proposed structure, while a few presented alternative proposals, he said.

Taking all suggestions into account, the consensus commission decided to sit again to finalise its decisions, and discussions on the matter will continue tomorrow, he added.

The 20th-day discussion in the second-phase between the National Consensus Commission and political parties was held at the Foreign Service Academy.

Commission members Justice Md Emdadul Haque, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain and Dr Md Ayub Miah and Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Monir Haider were present.

The discussions were originally scheduled to cover four constitutional and statutory institutions, including the Public Service Commission, the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Ombudsman as well as women's representation in Parliament. But, today's discussion focused primarily on the ACC and the Public Service Commission.

Regarding the progress on discussions about the Public Service Commission, Professor Riaz noted that there is consensus among political parties on the need to make the commission stronger and free from political interference. Some suggestions were made to amend the proposed structural framework, he added.

He further added that differing views and recommendations regarding the formation of relevant committees have also been placed by the political parties, and the Consensus Commission will evaluate these through continued dialogue before reaching any final decision.

Commenting on the BNP delegates' brief walkout from the meeting earlier in the day as a mark of protest, Professor Riaz said that the Commission has taken their stance very seriously. Following a request from the Commission to return to the discussion, the BNP delegation responded positively and rejoined the talks, for which he extended sincere thanks to them.

Representatives from 30 political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Nationalist Citizen Party (NCP), Gono Odhikar Parishad, Gonosanghati Andolon, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Biplobi Workers Party, and Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party, among others, joined the discussion.