NLA passes draft bill on Ombudsman

The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Thursday passed the Ombudsman draft bill required under the new charter, with 143 members backing the draft and seven abstaining.
The present members of the Office of Ombudsman, however, will be allowed to continue until their term ends.
The draft bill is the fourth of 10 organic laws to be passed by the NLA.
Under the new charter, concerned parties would be given at least 10 days to review the law and raise objections if they view any clause as unconstitutional. The process could pave the way for the setting up of a tripartite law review committee, prolonging the forwarding of the law for royal endorsement.
The members of the Election Commission and the National Human Rights Commission will have to vacate their positions as a result of the new law. The EC is now taking its case to the Constitutional Court.
The NLA, however, spared the members of the Office of Ombudsman, saying they would have less authority under the new law, and hence their qualifications need not be as high as that of the other agencies.
They would become an advisory body on state practices, without the authority to probe the ethics of political office holders.