Intellectual corruption has damaged the judiciary more than financial corruption, says law minister

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md. Asaduzzaman has said that intellectual corruption has harmed the country's judiciary far more seriously than financial irregularities.

He made the remark on Sunday (8 November) while taking part in a Judicial Integrity Workshop held at a hotel in the capital, attended by judges.

Speaking at the workshop, the law minister described the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution as a product of intellectual corruption, saying, 'Intellectual corruption has done more harm to the judiciary than financial corruption has.'

On the moral standards expected of judges, he said firmly, 'Calling a judge an honest judge is an exaggeration. A judge's job itself is to uphold honesty.'

He also reaffirmed the firm commitment to maintaining the full independence of the judiciary and forming a separate secretariat. He made it clear that the government will follow a policy of giving no concession at all to judges against whom there are specific allegations.

Criticising the role of the courts at a critical moment in the past, the law minister said, 'When Salahuddin Ahmed was disappeared, the judiciary did not stand by him.'

On the progress of the legal process to bring back Sheikh Hasina, who is staying in India, he said the government will take all necessary legal steps under the prisoner exchange treaty. The government expects the Indian government to hand her over under this treaty, and he said that whatever needed to be done legally to bring her back has been done.

The law minister also expressed hope of getting justice in the verdict of the Rohingya genocide case, to be delivered by an international court on 19 November.

Drawing on history, the minister said that just as it is important to speak out against those who opposed the 1971 Liberation War and were involved in genocide, it is equally important to demand justice for all killings, including those of martyrs Jafar, Joynal, Dipali Saha, Kanchan, Roufun, Basunia, Jihad and Dr. Milon, who lost their lives in various democratic struggles.

In the same way, recalling the sacrifice of more than 1,400 people, including martyrs Abu Sayeed, Mugdha and Anas, in the 2024 mass uprising, and the maiming of nearly 300 others, he called for building a culture of demanding justice for every killing.

Expressing displeasure over the divisions within the intellectual community and the silence of one section over the July casualties, he said that when Transparency International reviews the integrity of the judiciary, only the financial side gets priority. But there is no scope to ignore the major crisis of intellectual deviation there, which has had a far more serious impact on the country's overall justice system and the state.