ACC names and shames: A who’s who of society is to be found on the list of offenders

http://www.kuenselonline.com/2010/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=19612

Anti Corruption Commission officials have posted online the list of officials, along with their names, who have failed to declare their assets, including those that did after the deadline of March 31 (see table).

Commission officials, in an earlier interview, had said late declaration of assets was as good as not declaring them.If the commission was to go by the Act, commission officials said, the penalty was either impeachment or removal from office.

As one member of Parliament observed, to which some commission officials also agreed, the penalty was disproportionate.

Therefore, for the time being, a letter was written to the ethics committee of each agency to act against, or reprimand their employees, who failed to file in their asset declaration, or did so after the deadline.

“The anti corruption bill, which specifies a penalty and monetary fine such defaulters are liable for, is being revised at the Parliament,” a commission official said.

In an earlier interview, commission officials had said they received intimation letters from authorities concerned, on actions they took against employees, who failed to declare their assets.

The purpose of emphasising on asset declaration, commission officials said, was because it demanded greater public accountability from public servants, the custodians of public resources.

As of 31 March 2011, 327 of 471 schedule I public servants declared their assets on time, bringing the compliance rate to 69.43% as against 86.86% for the year 2009.

The commission’s annual report, 2010, stated the trend of asset declaration was still poor, because of non-existence of asset declaration administrators in most agencies.

Besides, it was also because of weak management of agencies and the commission’s non-enforcement of asset declaration rules that demand impeachment or removal of non-declarants from their office.

As of April 2011, 13,955 non-schedule I public servants have declared their assets online, as compared with 4,644 in 2009.

By Samten Wangchuk