ISLAMABAD, July 10 The government is considering to make some changes in the Accountability Act 2009.

Sources involved in efforts to repeal the NAB Ordinance 2000 said the main issue under consideration was the maximum punishment for financial corruption.

They said some government and political circles believed the punishment of seven-year imprisonment in the existing accountability law was unjustified and should be reduced to three-and-a-half years.

The National Assembly's standing committee on law and justice discussed the issue at its meeting on Wednesday.

The committee which is headed by MNA Nasim Akhtar Chaudhry and has representation from all parliamentary parties, reviewed the “Holder of Public Office (Accountability Act-2009) bill and proposed some amendments.

Advocate Ijaz Virk, who is a member of the committee, told Dawn that some committee members from the Q-League and MQM supported the idea of reducing the term but most other members wanted it to remain at seven years.

The members believed that any reduction in the period of imprisonment would weaken the deterrence against white-collar crime.

The committee recommended that the accountability commission should have powers to decide the matter of non-payment of loans taken from banks, financial institutions and cooperative societies.

It suggested inclusion of financial experts in the commission.

One significant aspect of the new legislation is that it bars military officers from becoming its chairman.

The sources said NAB might be renamed as the National Accountability Commission or the National Commission of Accountability.

Under the new legislation the head of the commission would be a retired judge, a senior lawyer or any civilian appointed by the president.

The sources said that the post of deputy chairman which is currently held by a military officer would be abolished.

The NAB is facing an acute financial crisis and government's tough attitude because leaders of the ruling coalition believed that the bureau was used as a tool of political victimisation by the regime headed by Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

Analysts here said that NAB, which was nearing its demise, would not be able to take any action against politicians, especially after promulgation of the National Reconciliation Ordinance which provides immunity to politicians involved in corruption cases and also bars it from instituting new cases against them.

Under the proposed accountability apparatus, its chairman will be appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, instead of the president.