B'desh army chief says crusade on graft to continue

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

DHAKA, July 11 (Reuters) Bangladesh's army chief General Moeen U Ahmed said today a crackdown to end corruption must continue until conditions were created for a healthy democracy.

''Bangladesh has now embarked on its own crusade against corruption, while following the footsteps of other south Asian countries in this regard,'' he told a two-day workshop organised in Dhaka by the Washington-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI).

Moeen said Bangladesh was studying models of India and Pakistan in its fight against corruption, but did not elaborate.

The workshop, attended by parliamentarians from a number of countries, praised steps taken by Bangladesh's army-backed interim government to fight corruption and free politics from graft and abuse of power.

The interim government took over in January, cancelling a planned election following violence between supporters of Begum Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and her rival Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League.

The two women had alternated as prime ministers of Bangladesh for 15 years.

Army-led security forces have detained more than 170 key political figures including Khaleda's son Tareque Rahman and several former ministers from the Awami League and BNP in a crackdown on corruption.

''In Bangladesh we are in the formative stages of creating an intricate legal network to suppress corruption,'' the army chief said.

''I hope that in the near future the interim government will introduce a 'right to information act' of our own so that corrupt officials cannot hide behind the cloak of secrecy and escape punishment.'' Moeen also suggested appointing a parliamentary ombudsman to help establish an independent and neutral judicial system.

Reuters RSA DB1341

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