ACC can't keep up

A pervasive extent of corruption in the country is outsmarting the preventive measures taken by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), said Iqbal Mahmood, chairman of the anti-graft watchdog.

“The commission could not keep pace with the extent of corruption persisting in the country,” he said.

Iqbal was talking to journalists at a press briefing on the recent Transparency International's Global Corruption Perceptions Index, 2017 at his office in the capital's Segunbagicha.

Bangladesh has moved two notches up in the Index, but the scale of corruption in the country remains alarming, according to the TI.

Of the 180 countries surveyed, Bangladesh ranks 143rd (17th from bottom), securing 28 points out of 100, whereas the global average score is 43. In 2016, Bangladesh stood 145th among the 176 countries surveyed.

“It is not easy to reduce two points. However, there is no room for self-satisfaction,” said Iqbal over the Index.

“It is possible to go much ahead. It is possible if we get cooperation from everyone, but it is very difficult to get everybody's help,” he said, adding, “There is corruption in the country that we cannot deny.

“If we deny we would not be able to progress,” he said.

On Thursday, while disclosing the report, Berlin-based TI's local chapter Transparency International, Bangladesh's (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman praised the last two years' activities of ACC.

He, however, said, “We think the commission has a dedicated offlinewhen it comes to the cases of high-profile people or corruption in the financial sector.”

Asked about the TIB's observations, Iqbal said ACC does not show discrimination in conducting investigationsinto corruption against anyone.

“Be them powerful or powerless, we donot look at the faces of people in case of corruption allegations,” he observed.

“I can saywe have not done any inquiry or investigation against anyone on the basis of political, social or economic identityin last two years,”Iqbal added.

Asked why ACC is taking time in bringing former Basic Bank chairman Abdul Hye Bacchu to book, he once again said money was laundered in different layers and the commission is trying to find out those layers.

“Certainly it [finding out layers] will take more time,” he noted.