TIB slams move to drop wealth statement obligation for govt employees, warns of more corruption

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has strongly criticised the move to amend the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules-1979, which would repeal the obligation for government employees to submit wealth statements.

If the existing rules are amended to relax the obligation, it would exempt nearly 1.5 million employees from accountability, facilitating corruption, the TIB said in a statement on Tuesday, calling for the immediate cancellation of the amendment move.

The Ministry of Public Administration recently initiated amendments to the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1979, aiming to repeal the obligation for government employees to submit asset statements.

Once the draft amendment by the Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs is scrutinised, it will be forwarded to the Committee on Administrative Development for further consideration.

Expressing grave concerns about this, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB, said that it could embolden dishonest government officials into engaging in corruption.

The proposed amendment contradicts the government’s electoral promise and commitment to zero tolerance against corruption at the highest levels, he said.

Dr Iftekharuzzaman pointed out that initially the obligation was to submit asset statements annually, which was later relaxed to every five years due to government employees’ reluctance.

However, many government servants did not adhere to even this extended timeframe, he said.

The TIB executive director said that the absence of asset statement submissions could evidently lead to increased corruption among government employees, facilitate the accumulation of illicit wealth, exacerbate difficulties for citizens seeking government services, escalate illegal financial transactions, and ultimately undermine efforts to establish a well-governed system.

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