The New Nation - Internet Edition

THE Council of Advisers has approved the creation of a Truth and Accountability Commission, providing corruption suspects with an avenue to avoid imprisonment in exchange for confessions and surrender of their illegally earned wealth or the equivalent amount in cash to the state. The commission is being created to curb corruption and reduce the massive load of graft cases through quick adjudication within 30 days of filing. All citizens, other than those already convicted of corruption or charged with such cases, will have recourse to the commission. The commission will hear case appeals within 14 days of submission and deliver its verdict in 30 days. Failure to comply with commission's rulings will result in five years' imprisonment.

It is a welcome decision. The idea did emerge last year as an alternative for dealing with graft cases and graft suspects to give the latter opportunities to admit to their offences and to be instantly penalised monetarily instead of going through prolonged legal processes and convictions by courts. People convicted by the commission may be barred for five years from contesting in elections to any public office like Parliament, local government bodies, professional organisations and boards of financial institutions. But they will not be sent to suffer jail term.

The commission will comprise three persons, with a chairman and two members and have a tenure of five months. The chairman and members of the commission will be selected from retired chief justices, retired appellate division judges, former military officials with ranks of at least major general, prominent citizens who excelled in their professions, and retired secretary-level government officials.

The commission, however, should not be made a frightening body which the people would not dare appear before. It should be such an institution where people would feel like coming at ease to relieve themselves of the other option, and get a consensual arrangement of justice.

Yet people should feel compelled to come to the commission and plea bargain their cases to escape prison terms by depositing their ill-gotten income to the national exchequer. In an overwhelming situation, such commissions were set up in many developed countries. The idea is to make quick but consensual justice available to avoid complications of appeal, etc found in normal criminal justice system everywhere.

In our country ,the need for Truth Commission is specially felt for quick disposal of corruption-related allegations against business people for restoring much needed economic activities. We hope to see business people coming forward boldly to take advantage of the lenient view being taken in respect of the offences of ill-gotten wealth.