Some may try to dismiss the matter by saying what difference can a politically active person make to a Committee of Five?
But it cannot be said that the person who has been given ‘special responsibility of the party’ by the Prime Minister will not have any influence on the committee. In fact, this committee can take a decision bypassing the views of two judges. After all, Section 7(4) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act states, “For making recommendations for the appointment of Commissioners, the Selection Committee shall, on the basis of the judgment of at least three members, draw up a list of two. Names for the post and will send the list to the President for appointment.”
The opposition, particularly the BNP, has long been complaining that the ACC has been used politically. BNP General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir reiterated this allegation at a press conference on 15 April, saying that the Anti-Corruption Commission has now become an anti-BNP commission. And then there are the long-standing allegations of unusually long and delayed investigations and trials when it comes to individuals in the ruling party camp.
People’s expectations and perceptions that the members of the commission would keep themselves away from party loyalty and politics have also proved to be wrong. A former commissioner, on completion of his term, became active in the politics of the Awami League and was also made a member of the advisory council. It does not seem that the MLA could have imagined that it was possible to be actively involved in the party after serving in the commission. If so, they would have made sure that the law forbade it.
It is difficult to understand the long-term implications of the political influence on the appointment process that this new precedent will unleash. There is no saying what far-reaching ramifications this politicization of an independent institution will have, all of which has been done under the government. cover of the law.
* Kamal Ahmed is a senior journalist and columnist
* This column appeared in print in an online edition of Prothom Elo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir