FICAC says the Code of Conduct legislation is the need of the hour in shaping the public administration of the country.

FICAC’s Senior Counsel Rashmi Aslam while making submissions to the Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights on the Code of Conduct Bill highlighted that there were many instances where the convicted offenders continue to occupy their respective offices and their superiors or the appointing authority did not take any action against them.

Aslam says they have also seen on some occasions where public officers continue to hold senior positions in civil service and statutory authorities even after being criminally charged for abusing their office.

He told the Committee this morning that such inactions by the heads of organisations will bring nothing but lack of public confidence in their administration, discrimination in treating its own employees and serious instability in their administration.

Aslam says this is a serious concern, however the Code of Conduct Bill provides solution where the Accountability and Transparency Commission is empowered to take actions and advise the relevant organisations to take appropriate disciplinary actions if the Commission thinks that there is a breach of code of conduct.