TIB slams govt for dropping key ACC oversight proposal in final ordinance
It wonders if state reform is merely an empty promise
The Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep disappointment and anger over the interim government's final approval of the Anti-Corruption Commission Ordinance (Amendment) 2025, alleging that crucial reform proposals were deliberately excluded to keep the ACC vulnerable to political influence.
In a press statement issued yesterday (28 November), TIB said the omission of the proposed "Selection and Review Committee" – a mechanism aimed at ensuring institutional independence, transparency, accountability and effectiveness – undermines the very spirit of the reform agenda.
TIB stated that the exclusion of the recommendation, which was included with the full consensus of all political parties in the July Charter and had received the consent of relevant government authorities following TIB's consistent advocacy, is not only disappointing but also suggests that the goal of state reform is being held hostage by reform-resistant factions within the government.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The anti-corruption organisation directly questioned the chief adviser, who is the head of the Consensus Commission and took the historic decision to establish 11 reform commissions: "Is the chief adviser trying to send a message to all political parties and the entire nation that state reform is merely an empty promise by placing the ACC outside the scope of accountability?"
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman pointed out that the ACC Reform Commission had specifically recommended the "Selection and Review Committee" based on two decades of experience, stakeholder feedback, international best practices, and Bangladesh's political context, to prevent the ACC from continuing as a tool of harassment for the ruling party.
"The institution has suffered a crisis of public trust since its inception, having become a pawn of vested interests, offering protection to the powerful while harassing the opposition," Iftekharuzzaman said.
He lamented that the government failed to comprehend the strategic importance of this proposal, which aimed to make the ACC a truly accountable, independent, and neutral body through half-yearly reviews, public hearings, and consultation by the committee.
The TIB chief termed this failure a "self-contradictory and anti-reform precedent" for a government tasked with state reform.
Iftekharuzzaman expressed further disappointment, citing reliable sources that claimed at least seven advisers opposed the proposal, despite knowing that it had been agreed upon by all political parties signatory to the July Charter.
"Before creating such an example of violating the July Charter, why is the government not considering that they are encouraging political parties themselves to violate it?" he asked. "Then why all this bloody sacrifice? What kind of state reform is this when the means of effective corruption control are blocked?"
TIB acknowledged that the draft ordinance it had previously reviewed showed notable improvements over existing legislation, and commended the government for those advancements. However, Iftekharuzzaman expressed concern that several other consensus-based reform measures were also removed from the final version, suggesting this reflects the influence of powerful vested interests resistant to transparency and accountability.
The advisory council of the interim government, headed by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, gave final approval to the draft of the ordinance during a meeting at the Chief Adviser's Office in Dhaka's Tejgaon on Thursday.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said the interim government had formed a reform commission to strengthen the ACC and reduce corruption.
