Parliament approved the bill in favour of the opposition after Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Abdulaziz Al Fadhel did not object to the amendments made by the opposition to include the premier and his deputies in the law.
The bill has proposed a fine of up to BD15,000, five-year jail sentence and sacking from job, or all, if top officials and their families are found involved in accumulating wealth through illegal means.
The draft law was tabled by Al Manber Islamic bloc in the first legislative term and was passed by the lower house.
Later, the government introduced some changes in the draft and sent it back to parliament.
The government highlighted in an introduction note attached with the bill that some changes had been made to avoid constitutional violations such as excluding non-government officials working on temporary contracts in public organisations.
The bill stresses the formation of a Financial Closure Authority that reports directly to His Majesty the King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
The authority would be operated by qualified judges. To investigate corruption cases, the authority has the right to get confidential information from banks and companies.
Ministers and parliament members are among officials who could be questioned by the government if they were found involved in suspicious financial transactions.
Officials who fail to submit financial statements about their wealth on time will pay up to BD10,000, or serve three years in prisons or both. The officials would be forced to return money that was illegally taken and would be banned from standing in parliamentary elections or joining the public sector.
Besides the immunity system, judges would be the only public officials who have not been included in the bill.
They were excluded because the judicial authority would handle any investigation and judging process.
The government highlighted that it was difficult to activate the bill without the implementation of a tax system.
It also says that the bill might be misused by some people to spoil the reputations of public figures.
