Everything You Need to Know About the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 in Pakistan
The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 (PCA) is an Act of the Parliament of Pakistan that was enacted in 1947 to make effective provisions for the prevention of bribery and corruption. It applies to all citizens of Pakistan and persons in the service of Governments wherever they may be.
The PCA defines a "public servant" as:
- a person holding any office under the Government;
- a person who is in the service or pay of the Government;
- a person who holds any post or employment in connection with the affairs of the Government;
- a person who is authorized by the Government to perform any public duty.
The PCA prohibits the following acts by a public servant:
- Accepting gratification other than legal remuneration;
- Giving or offering gratification to a public servant;
- Obtaining pecuniary advantage for himself or any other person by corrupt or illegal means;
- Inducing a public servant by corrupt or illegal means to do or omit to do any official act;
- Misappropriating or converting to his own use any property entrusted to him by virtue of his office;
- Using his position as a public servant for the purpose of obtaining any valuable thing or pecuniary advantage for himself or any other person;
- Possessing property disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The PCA also provides for the punishment of persons who commit these offences. The punishment for an offence under the PCA can be imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, or fine, or both.
The PCA has been amended several times since it was enacted in 1947. The most recent amendment was made in 2017. The amendment introduced a new offence of "possession of property disproportionate to known sources of income".
The PCA is an important piece of legislation that is designed to prevent corruption in Pakistan. It has been used to successfully prosecute a number of high-profile corruption cases. However, there is still a lot of corruption in Pakistan, and the PCA needs to be more effectively implemented in order to have a real impact on the problem.
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