Revision submitted to expand legal definition of corruption

A revision has been submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission Act designed to expand the legal definition of corruption.

The bill was submitted to the Parliament on behalf of the government by Funadhoo MP Mohamed Shahid.

The first reading of the bill was held during the parliamentary sitting on Wednesday.

The bill is designed to expand the definition of corruption declared on Article 23 of Anti-Corruption Act.

The bill states that “corruption” will be the offense of corruption, as well as all acts carried out to commit the offense of corruption, along with offenses declared under sections 510, 515, 516 and 517 of the Penal Code, and all offenses defined as corruption under other laws.

The revision is designed to take effect the moment it is passed, ratified and published on the Government Gazette.

Anti-Corruption Commission Act presently does not explicitly declare a definition for corruption, but states that corruption is offenses declared under Anti-Corruption Act.

Shahid said that he submit the revision due to plans to abolish the Anti-Corruption Act.

Abolishing the Anti-Corruption Act is one of the revisions presented on behalf of the government for the Penal Code.

The new bill to revise Anti-Corruption Act follows a previous bill to revise the same Act, which is currently under evaluation by a parliamentary committee.