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The potential positive and negative outcomes of introducing Plea Bargaining in offences under the ACC’s jurisdiction should be thoroughly examined and comparatively analysed to reach a practical decision. (In many countries, this system has significantly contributed to making anti-corruption processes more effective and dynamic. According to the ACC Reform Commission, a comprehensive examination of pros and cons of plea bargaining is necessary to assess its feasibility, especially in cases of petty corruption and money laundering).

Year: 2025
Domain: Anti Corruption Electoral and Political Finance Reforms
Status: Reform Proposed
Last Update: 14-Dec-25

The ACC must formulate a Prosecution Policy to clearly specify which scheduled offences it will investigate based on the severity of the offence and public interest. For other offences, the ACC will forward the complaints to the relevant police station for investigation. Section 20 of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, should be amended to empower the police to investigate complaints forwarded by the ACC.

Year: 2025
Domain: Anti Corruption Case Prioritisation and Police Empowerment
Status: Reform Proposed
Last Update: 14-Dec-25

The current mandatory provision of pre-investigation inquiry before launching investigations for each offense listed under the ACC’s jurisdiction should be abolished. * If specific information about an offense is received in writing from a specific person, the ACC should directly file a case and initiate an investigation. * If the information or message about an offense is not received in writing from a specific person, the ACC may conduct a covert inquiry based on the importance of the information or message.

Year: 2025
Domain: Anti Corruption Prosecution Prioritisation
Status: Reform Proposed
Last Update: 14-Dec-25

To enhance the transparency of the ACC’s JABAC, the following measures must be ensured: * Through the application of Rule 5(4) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Regulations, 2007, JABACs should be reconstituted at regular intervals (at least twice a month, if possible), and the same person should not serve in JABAC consecutively for an extended period. * No more than one deputed official can be among the three members of JABAC.

Year: 2025
Domain: Anti Corruption Case Prioritisation and Police Empowerment
Status: Reform Proposed
Last Update: 14-Dec-25

To avoid delays and to streamline complaint management, the following measures must be implemented: * The recommendations of the Complaint Scrutiny and Selection Committee (JABAC) at the district or divisional ACC offices should not be subjected to further scrutiny by the central JABAC at ACC headquarters. * For complaints related to offences below a certain level of severity (as determined by ACC guidelines), the district or divisional ACC offices should be authorised to independently take necessary actions on complaints.

Year: 2025
Domain: ACC Operational Autonomy Anti Corruption
Status: Reform Proposed
Last Update: 14-Dec-25

The proposed “Selection and Review Committee” will review ACC activities by following these procedures: * Every six months, the ACC will prepare a performance report and submit it to the proposed Selection and Review Committee. * The format of the report will be determined by the Committee but must include: i) Number of complaints received and forwarded for investigation after initial scrutiny. ii) A brief explanation of why complaints were accepted or rejected. iii) Number of ongoing cases categorised by the nature and extent of corruption. iv) Number and types of ongoing covert investigations. v) Details of ACC’s actions regarding serious and large-scale corruption allegations reported in the media. vi) Progress report on investigations and trials related to money laundering crimes. vii) Updates on cooperation with various government and state agencies. viii) Reports on corruption prevention activities. ix) Progress on addressing internal corruption within the ACC itself. x) A description of ACC’s corruption prevention initiatives. * The Committee will organise public hearings based on the reports submitted by the ACC. * The Committee will, to the extent possible, allow participation and comments from representatives of civil society, media, and non-governmental organisations during the hearings. * After the hearings, the Committee will issue a written review report. * The Committee will ensure that the public hearings do not compromise the confidentiality of any ongoing investigation or inquiry, nor trigger discussions on specific allegations or cases. * The Committee will formulate a Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the public hearings and ensure their proper adherence.

Year: 2025
Domain: Anti Corruption Merit-Based Recruitment and Internal Promotion
Status: Legal and Policy Framework
Last Update: 14-Dec-25
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Last Updated: 14th December 2025

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