The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is set to be relieved of the responsibility to deal with cheating and forgery cases under an amended law, the draft of which was approved on Monday by the cabinet.
On amendment of the law, the jurisdiction will shift to judicial magistrates' courts to deal with such cases facing private persons through police inquiry.
The change made to the ACC law to shift the onus onto judicial magistrates was aimed at reducing the workload of the anti-graft watchdog, cabinet secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told journalists after the cabinet meeting.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting held in the Cabinet Division at the Secretariat.
"The cabinet approved The Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Act 2015' allowing judicial magistrate courts to deal with all cheating and forgery cases bar those related to government property and duties of government employees and bankers," he said.
The cabinet secretary said the trial in cheating and forgery cases of government officials and bankers regarding their official duties as well as cheating and forgery over government property would be held under the ACC Act.
He said following the inclusion of the sections on trial for the cases of cheating and forgery in the ACC (Amendment) Act 2013 the number of such cases increased enormously, making investigation and trial troublesome.
"The Commission proposed exclusion of these sections from the ACC Act that would decrease the ACC's workload. The trial and investigation in other important ACC cases would be expedited," he added.
He said the draft amendment of the law provides that the ACC should hand over all under-investigation and under-trial cases related to cheating and forgery to the judicial magistrates' courts.
Similar cases which are under primary inquiry by the ACC would be disposed of automatically, he added.
The council of ministers also approved the draft 'National Nutrition Policy 2015' to make it fit in the context of present times--when Bangladesh is poised for a status change through graduation from the world's poor-country club.
The goals of this policy include improving the nutritional status of common people, especially mothers, children, teenage girls and underprivileged section of people, controlling malnutrition and expediting national development through improving lifestyle and living standards.
Under the policy, the existing National Nutrition Council has been renamed National Nutrition Coordination Council headed by the Prime Minister.
The cabinet also approved a draft air service agreement aimed at enhancing bilateral air connectivity.
The 'Agreement between Canada and Bangladesh on Air Transport' will allow the two countries to run three passenger and three cargo flights by their designated airlines each week.
Bangladesh and Canada will sign the agreement soon.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com
