Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said intellectual corruption damaged the judiciary more than financial graft. Speaking at a workshop, he called the 13th Amendment verdict a product of such corruption. He also said the government would take steps to bring Sheikh Hasina back from India under the existing extradition treaty soon.
Hasina to be brought back under extradition treaty, says Asaduzzaman
Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman today said intellectual corruption had caused more damage to the judiciary and the country than financial corruption.
"The Supreme Court verdict on the 13th Amendment case, which scrapped the caretaker government system, is a product of intellectual corruption," he said while speaking at a three-day workshop for judges at Holiday Inn City Centre in Dhaka.
Asaduzzaman said the concerns raised by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) about judicial integrity appeared to focus primarily on financial corruption, while intellectual corruption was another significant aspect of the crisis facing the judiciary.
Regarding allegations of financial misconduct involving judges, he said only a handful might be engaged in such practices.
However, the government and the chief justice were pursuing a zero-tolerance policy towards those against whom specific allegations had been brought, he added.
At the same time, he said, the professional dedication, integrity and efforts of judges who continued to discharge their duties despite adverse circumstances deserved recognition.
The minister also said society had become intellectually divided, with a section of intellectuals remaining silent over the killings and injuries during the July uprising.
"Although so many people were killed and many others were left disabled in July, a section of intellectuals has had nothing to say about them," he said.
He stressed that discussions on judicial integrity should go beyond financial misconduct and address intellectual corruption within the judiciary.
Romana Schweiger, senior adviser on Rule of Law, Justice and Human Rights at UNDP Bangladesh, and Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB, also spoke at the event titled "Judicial Integrity", organised by TIB with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
After the programme, the law minister told reporters that the government would take all necessary steps to bring ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina back from India under the extradition treaty.
He expressed hope that the Indian government would hand her over to Bangladesh.
Asaduzzaman also said Bangladesh expected justice in the Rohingya genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is scheduled to deliver its verdict on November 19.