Govt Amends ICT Act to Strengthen Tribunal

The gazette published on Monday by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division states that the amendment is aimed at enhancing the tribunal's efficiency and effectiveness. The ordinance was issued by the President under Article 93(1) of the Constitution, which grants the authority to introduce such changes.

Key amendments include the replacement of the term "Statute" with "Act" in Section 4, Clause (e), and a modification to Clause (f) of the same section, which now states that provisions concerning war crimes or crimes against peace will apply only to those holding significant control over or directing a state's political or military actions.

The amendment also reduces the timeline for submitting key trial documents. Instead of the previous six weeks, the chief prosecutor must now submit a list of witnesses, their recorded statements, and relevant documents to the tribunal at least three weeks before the trial begins.

Additionally, the ordinance introduces a new provision in Section 11, Sub-section (9), allowing tribunals to freeze or confiscate an accused person's assets to prevent evasion, facilitate compensation, and ensure justice is served.

Other changes include the addition of the word "complaints" to Section 12, Sub-section (3), and the introduction of a new Sub-section (5) in Section 19, which allows tribunals to bypass technical rules of evidence in favor of more streamlined, non-technical procedures to expedite cases.

The draft ordinance received final approval from the Council of Advisers on February 6.