THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

NACC must conclude probes within two years under draft bill: Meechai

NACC must conclude probes within two years under draft bill: Meechai

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) will be required to complete its investigations within two years under the coming anti-graft bill, Constitution Drafting Commission chairman Meechai Ruchuphan said on Monday.

NACC officials will be prosecuted if they fail to conclude the probes they are responsible for within such a timescale, he said.
Under the new process, cases will be investigated directly by NACC officials instead of by subcommittees, as has been the practice up to now.
By doing this, the time required for conducting and completing a probe can be shortened, he explained.
In addition, while the NACC’s provincial branches will be retained, they will be mainly assigned public-relations tasks and receiving asset information from local politicians and administrators.
Investigative power will instead belong to regional NACC officials, who will be directly appointed by NACC headquarters, Meechai said, reasoning that “local corruption doesn’t happen every day”.
The new bill will also maintain the independence of the NACC, such as by authorising it to file cases to the court if prosecutors are not prepared to do so.
However, if prosecutors consider that a case lacks sufficient detail, the NACC will be obliged to seek such information and add the said details to the case, the chief charter-drafter added.

 

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