The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The Council of Advisers of the Caretaker Government yesterday approved a law titled Voluntary Disclosure Ordinance 2008 for constituting the much talked about Truth and Accountability Commission.

A former chief justice will head the three-member Truth and Accountability Commission and its term will be five months initially, according to the ordinance.

The Commission will start hearing an appeal within 14 days of its submission and deliver a verdict within 30 days. Anybody, excepting those who have already been convicted of graft, can admit his/her offence before the Commission.

The Commission will have the jurisdiction to confiscate property of the guilty, but the property donated to organisations or institutions such as schools, hospitals, mosques and temples will not be confiscated.

The money deposited by anybody voluntarily to the state coffers before the proclamation of the ordinance would be taken into account in line with the ordinance.

The persons who will admit their offence and give money to the Government qualify for leniency and do not have any obstacle in contesting the polls.

But the persons convicted by the Truth Commission would not be able to contest any polls for five years.

The term of the Commission will be five months initially, the Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim told reporters after a cabinet meeting in the CA's office.

The Commission, headquartered in Dhaka, will have offices of sub-commission in Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi and Bogra. The sub-commissions will hear appeals and send reports to the headquarters for verdicts.

Of the 222 people on the Anticorruption Commission's graft list, those who have not convicted yet will be able to apply to the Commission.

The Government had earlier formed a four-member committee to make a draft on the proposed commission. The committee had designed the structure and legal affairs of the Commission. A high-powered committee led by the Chief Adviser had earlier scrutinised the ordinance.