BSS, Dhaka :
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq on Friday called for identifying main weaknesses and loopholes in the international anti-graft framework to prevent corruption.
He also laid emphasis on adopting fresh and innovative approaches to tackle corruption and said an extensive integrated approach is needed inside the system of the United Nations in this regard.
The minister said these in a pre-recorded video message broadcasted at the general debate in a special session of the UN General Assembly against Corruption last night. The three-day discussion is going on at the UN Headquarters in New York and ended on Friday, an official press release said here.
“We’ve to take a comprehensive whole-of-society approach, involving all the stakeholders including women and youth to fight corruption. While our fight against corruption is important for implementing the 2030 Agenda and our sustainable future, we must join hands in the spirit of multilateralism to address the underlying factors and enablers of corruption at both national and international levels,” Anisul Huq said.
Talking about Bangladesh’s position in effective implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), the law minister said the government has established legal framework nationally in different relevant topics including anti-corruption, criminal acts, Anti-Corruption Commission, Right to Information, Whistleblower Protection, Money Laundering, resisting funding in terrorism, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, public procurements and preventing transnational crimes.
“Under the guidance of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, we’ve set precedents for people at the high echelons of our society, including incumbent ministers, parliamentarians, senior public servants and business leaders; to face corruption related investigations and prosecutions. During the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, the government adopted an uncompromising stance against elements trying to take undue advantage of the situation,” he said.
“Preventing illicit financial flows and recovering and returning confiscated assets can contribute to effective resource mobilization and SDGs. We observe with some disappointment that despite explicit UNCAC provisions, there are increased barriers in the asset recovery process as well as their speedy return to countries of origin. We emphasize that the requested States should return the recovered assets without conditionality to the states of origin,” The law minister added.
