Anti-Corruption Commission (Bangladesh)

Anti Corruption Commission (Bengali: দুর্নীতি দমন কমিশন) often abbreviated: ACC (Bengali: দুদক) was formed through an act promulgated on 23 February 2004 that came into force on 9 May 2004. Although initially, it could not make the desired impact, but immediately following its reconstitution in February 2007, the ACC began working with renewed vigor and impetus duly acceding to the United Nations' convention against corruption that was adopted by the General Assembly away back on 31 October 2003. Its framework and function is governed by Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004.[4]

Anti Corruption Commission
দুর্নীতি দমন কমিশন
Logo of ACC
AbbreviationACC
Agency overview
FormedFebruary 23, 2004
Jurisdictional structure
Legal jurisdictionBangladesh
Constituting instrument
  • Anti-corruption Commission Act, 2004
Specialist jurisdiction
  • Anti corruption.
Operational structure
Headquarters1, Segun Bagicha, Dhaka 1000[1]
Agency executives
  • Iqbal Mahmood[2], Chairman
  • A. F. M. Aminul Islam[2], Commissioner
  • Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan[2], Commissioner
  • Md. Dilwar Bakht, ACC Senior Secretary
Notables
Person
  • Md. Moyeedul lslam
    Md. Mustafizur Rahman
    Md. Atiqur Rahman Khan
    Mahmood Hasan[2][3], for Director General
Website
acc.org.bd

Organization

The commission has formulated some forms of corruption in Bangladesh, for everyone to know, understand and prepare to completely erase corruption, if not reduce it.

  • Bribery: It is the offering of money, services or other valuables to persuade someone to do something in return. Synonyms: kickbacks, baksheesh (tips), payola, hush money, sweetener, protection money, boodle, and gratuity.
  • Embezzlement: Taking of money, property or other valuables by the person to whom it has been entrusted for personal benefit.
  • Extortion: Demanding or taking of money, property or other valuables through use of coercion and/or force. A typical example of extortion would be when armed police or military men exact money for passage through a roadblock. Synonyms include blackmail, bloodsucking and extraction.
  • Abuse of discretion: The abuse of office for private gain, but without external inducement or extortion. Patterns of such abuses are usually associated with bureaucracies in which broad individual discretion is created, few oversights or accountability structures are present, as well as those in which decision-making rules are so complex as to neutralise the effectiveness of such structures even if they exist.
  • Improper political contributions: Payments made in an attempt to unduly influence present or future activities by a party or its members when they are in office.[5]

Anti Corruption Commission established district committees all over Bangladesh with each having 10 members.[6]

Notable cases
  • The Commission filed cases against former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia regarding graft at the Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust.[7]
  • The Commission filed cases against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and eight others on 7 May 2008 for awarding a gas exploration and extraction deal to Niko Resources through corruption and abuse of power.[8][9]

Criticism

Anti Corruption Commission was formed through an act in 2004, but is considered to be largely ineffective in investigating and preventing corruption because of governmental control over it.[10][11] The Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh is crippled by the 2013 amendment of the Anti Corruption Commission Act introduced by the ruling Awami League government, which makes it necessary for the commission to obtain permission from the government to investigate or file any charge against government bureaucrats or politicians.[12] The commission is often criticised for being ineffective and a wastage of resources due to the influence of the government over it.[13]

In 2015, the ACC investigated the case of Padma Bridge Scandal. Even though the World Bank continuously pushed the government to take actions against the perpetrators, after 53 days' of investigation, ACC found nobody to be guilty. On the basis of ACC's report, Dhaka district judge court acquitted all the seven government officials who were believed to be involved in the corruption plot.[14] Before that, ACC even exonerated Syed Abul Hossain and ex-state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury from the allegation of involvement in the corruption conspiracy.[15]

References
  1. Info. "Office Locations". acc.org.bd. Anti-Corruption Commission. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  2. Commission & Executive Management, Anti Corruption Commission, archived from the original on 22 September 2016, retrieved 18 September 2016
  3. "ACC, TIB join hands against corruption". The Daily Star. United News of Bangladesh. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  4. "Anti-corruption Commission Act". Act of 2004 (PDF).
  5. "A Glance at Corruption in its many Forms". Youthink!. Archived from the original on 12 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  6. "Anti-corruption bodies to start functioning at dists, UZs soon". The Daily Star. UNB. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  7. "Khaleda Zia petitions High Court for fresh plaintiff testimonies". bdnews24.com. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  8. Tran, Mark (3 September 2007). "Former Bangladeshi leader held on corruption charges". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  9. "Niko corruption case against Hasina shifted to special court". The Daily Star. 21 May 2008. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  10. "ACC largely ineffective". The Daily Star. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  11. "Anti Corruption Commission and Political Government: An Evaluation of Awami League Regime (2009–2012) | Government and Politics, JU". govpoliju.com. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  12. Iftekhar Zaman, Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (14 November 2013), Anti-corruption Commission (Amendment) Bill Unconstitutional, discriminatory, self-defeating, retrieved 7 May 2016
  13. Syeda Naushin Parnini (2011). "Governance Reforms and Anti-Corruption Commission in Bangladesh". Governance and Corruption. The Romanian Journal of Political Science. 11 (1).
  14. "All Padma bridge graft accused acquitted". The Daily Star. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  15. "The Financialexpress-bd". print.thefinancialexpress-bd.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
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