| 15 Dec 2005 |
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Bahrain: Deputies defer bill on financial disclosures
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The Chamber of Deputies has postponed the debate on the draft law on financial disclosures that aims to prevent corruption in the public ranks.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Abdulaziz Al Fadhel on Tuesday sought the postponement to enable the government to present full details on the bill. "Corruption is everywhere and the executive authority is keen to tackle it by improving legalisations," he said. The head of the legal affairs committee, Yousif Zainal, accepted to defer the debate.
According to the bill, unexpected and illegal increase in the wealth of top officials and their families can make them liable for a fine of up to BD15,000 or five years in prison or losing jobs or all together. The bill also covers ministers and MPs who could be questioned by the government.
Officials who fail to present wealth statements on time will be fined up to of BD10,000 or jailed for three years or both. They would also be asked to return the ill-gotten money and barred from contesting parliamentary elections or joining the public sector. The bill does not cover judges as the judiciary will handle investigations. The bill also covers board members of companies in which the government has at least 50 per cent stake.
The financial affairs of the employees in and outside Bahrain, the savings and real estate in the names of their wives and minor children will also be investigated.
The government agrees with the Chamber on the need to fight corruption and protect public money, but insists that the bill is unnecessary as there are laws and regulations to deal with the matter.
The government argued that it was difficult to enforce the bill without the implementation of a tax system to assess the income and savings of individuals, especially top public officials.
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