After the posts of chairman and commissioners at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) remained vacant for five and a half months, the BNP government has appointed new officials to the positions.

Retired Justice AKM Asaduzzaman was appointed ACC chairman on Monday night.

Jahangir Alam Khan and Md Sajjad Hossain Bhuiyan were appointed commissioners.

The appointment of a retired judge as ACC chairman has raised questions. Some constitutional experts say the appointment is not consistent with the Constitution, as it imposes constitutional restrictions on the appointment of retired judges to lucrative positions in the service of the Republic.

Ridwanul Hoque, a former professor of law at the University of Dhaka and a constitutional expert, posted a comment in English on Facebook on Tuesday.

Under the headline “Judicial independence breached,” he wrote, “Appointment of an ex-judge of the Supreme Court as the Chief of Anti-Corruption Commission is an unconstitutional move, as it directly breaches judicial independence. Note: I am aware of a similar appointment several years ago. The present government is clearly in the path opposite to democracy.”

Contacted by Prothom Alo, Ridwanul Hoque confirmed that the comment was his.