Prof Ali Riaz, vice-chair of the National Consensus Commission, has said a consensus has been reached on strengthening the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and making it free from political influence.
He made the statement during a media briefing on Monday afternoon, following the 20th day of the second phase of dialogues between the commission and political parties, held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
He said: “Representatives of all political parties and alliances viewed positively a proposal by the Anti-Corruption Reform Commission to incorporate the ACC into the constitution through a new article, aimed at controlling corruption under a framework of transparency and accountability.”
He added: “However, some recommendations were made to revise parts of the proposed structure, and a few new proposals were also submitted. The National Consensus Commission will review these issues and continue discussions on Tuesday.”
Ali Riaz noted that while the day’s agenda included discussions on four constitutional and statutory bodies—namely, the Bangladesh Public Service Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, Anti-Corruption Commission, and ombudsman—as well as the issue of women’s representation in parliament, only the ACC and the BPSC were discussed in detail.
On progress regarding the BPSC, he said there was political consensus on the need to strengthen it and ensure it remains free from political interference.
Suggestions were also made for revising aspects of the proposed structure, he added.
Ali Riaz said parties expressed differing views and recommendations regarding the formation of committees, which the commission will review in a phased manner before reaching a final decision.
Earlier in the day, the BNP representatives staged a brief walkout in protest.
Ali Riaz said the commission took their stance seriously and thanked them for positively responding to the commission’s request to rejoin the discussion.
Representatives from 30 political parties participated in the meeting, including the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party (NCP), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Gono Odhikar Parishad, Ganosamhati Andolan, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Revolutionary Workers Party, and Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party).
