THIMPHU, 03 June 2021, (TON): The National Assembly’s good governance committee proposed 53 provisions of the Anti-Corruption Act of Bhutan 2011 for amendment.

Commencing the third reading of the Anti-Corruption (Amendment) Bill of Bhutan 2021, the committee’s chairperson, Ugyen Dorji, Dewathang-Gomdar MP, submitted that the provisions for amendment are proposed after the national law review task force recommended consolidating some provisions of the existing Act with other laws.

He said “third session of the Parliament forwarded the Bill to the committee and since they could not discuss it in the fourth session because of the Covid-19 pandemic, they reviewed the Act totally, as they had time.”

He further added that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) proposed to amend 31 provisions of the existing Act. The committee met with various stakeholders and dropped six provisions proposed by ACC, but proposed to amend 53 provisions.

Ugyen Dorji also explained that the Bill harmonises 27 provisions of the Act with the Penal Code of Bhutan.

The discussion was mostly on whether the grading of the sentences should be specified as per the Penal Code or as per the committee’s recommendation that mostly leaves room for interpretation by the judges.

The committee proposed offences should be graded a misdemeanour or value-based sentencing and not specific to the existing provisions.