The organic bill on the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), containing key changes including a deadline set for anti-graft probes, has been accepted for deliberation by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) in its first reading.
The NLA accepted the bill with a unanimous vote of 200 and four abstentions.
A 35-member committee will be set up in the next 58 days to scrutinise the bill on the second reading, according to NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai.
The members are expected to include leading anti-graft names such as former national anti-corruption commissioners Klanarong Chantik and Vicha Mahakhun.
The organic bill was drafted by the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) chaired by Meechai Ruchupan. Before the bill was accepted by the NLA yesterday, it had been brought up for joint discussion between the CDC and the NACC.
Mr Meechai said the bill presented to the NLA stipulates that the time it takes for the NACC to conduct an anti-graft probe will be limited to two years, as opposed to the current limitless time frame.
The two-year deadline is imposed under Section 47 of the bill. The section says the NACC must act in a "prompt fashion".
Generally, the NACC must finish the probe and pass a ruling within a year of launching an investigation. The deadline is extendable but it must not exceed a year, unless the investigation involves an inquiry to be carried out abroad or a request for information from overseas agencies.
Also, the CDC has written the draft law to strip provincial NACC offices of their authority to proceed with routine probes of local anti-graft cases. If the NLA passes the bill unaltered, the provincial NACC offices' power to investigate will be handed to regional NACC offices. Meantime, provincial offices will tackle public relations.
Mr Meechai added that NACC members and officials will answer to external probes if there are allegations they have committed malpractice. An independent inquiry panel will be set up if such accusations are directed at national anti-corruption commissioners. If allegations are levelled at NACC officials, probes will be handled by the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG).
After the OAG concludes its findings, they will be sent to the NACC commissioners to decide if officials should be prosecuted. But if the commissioners find the OAG's accusations against officials to be unfair, they can dismiss the OAG probe and set up their own, according to Mr Meechai.
