August 29, 2003	Friday	Jumadi-us-Sani 30, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 28: The Asian Development Bank will provide $350 million grant-in-aid for judicial reforms and implementation of the recommendations made by the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS), a NAB source said.

The source told Dawn that the bank wanted to provide the money for the project but some concerned quarters were trying to delay it.

He said reports of the NACS revealed that the problem of corruption was acute in the subordinate judiciary, where money was paid nearly at every step of the judicial process.

The NACS suggested that the problems in the legal profession could be checked to remove weaknesses in legal education and legal accountability mechanisms.

The strategy pointed lack of control and discipline over practising lawyers by the Bar councils.

The NACS recommended judicial accountability by making Supreme Judicial Council a completely effective body.

It recommended increase in the salaries of judicial staff as the salaries of judicial officers in the lower judiciary were too low.

The report said there had been cases of appointments as well as removals from judiciary on purely political basis which tarnished its image.

It said the appointments on ad hoc basis for extended periods had allowed the executive to mitigate judiciary’s independence resulting in the loss of public confidence.

The recommendations of the NACS like training of judges, judicial support functions and ratification of confusing laws would also be adopted for judicial reforms.