The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Members of Parliament (MPs) expressed serious concern over the backlog of corruption cases, with 32 cases still pending in court some dating as far back as 2007. The issue was highlighted during the presentation of the action taken report (ATR) on the resolutions related to the Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) Annual Report 2023–2024.
During the deliberation, MPs pointed out that some of the unresolved cases are nearly two decades old.
MPs also discussed challenges hindering case resolutions. Concerns were raised over the significant gap between restitution amounts sought and recovered.
MP Lhakpa Tshering Tamang, a member of GGC, said that some individuals had fled while on bail, while others were already imprisoned but their cases remained in court.
Another GGC member, MP Pempa, emphasized the need to weigh the costs of investigation against the financial impact of the corruption involved.
MPs acknowledged the ACC’s achievements, especially given its limited resources, but stressed the need for stronger institutional and legal reforms. They called for enhanced ICT use across agencies, increased manpower and budget for the ACC, and better legal protection for prosecutors.
As per the report, from 2006 to 2025, a total of 313 corruption-related cases were prosecuted. Of these, only four cases were prosecuted directly by the ACC, while the remaining 309 were forwarded to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).
The ACC requested a total of Nu 3.92 billion (bn) to be recovered in corruption cases. However, the OAG recorded a much lower amount of Nu 552.5 million (mn). Out of that, only Nu. 549.7 mn was actually recovered.
As for the cases received, 2014 had the highest volume at 46 cases, followed by 2022 (33 cases) and 2017 (32 cases).
The highest backlog of pending cases occurred in 2016 with 7 cases, followed by 5 in 2018, and 3 each in 2019, 2017 and 2014.
A comprehensive report, prepared in consultation with the ACC, would be tabled during the upcoming winter session.
