The government is often seen to boast of its zero tolerance to corruption. But as the latest Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) survey on corruption in service sectors shows, an extremely high level of tolerance is being shown to corruption by state officials. Out of the 15,454 homes surveyed by the TIB, about 71 percent said they had to endure corruption while trying to get public services last year. Corruption means bribery, extortion, embezzlement, deception, negligence of duty, nepotism, etc – for which, according to the TIB, they had to pay an estimated Tk 10,830 crore in bribes, which is 5.9 percent of the revised budget of FY 2020-2021. These practices were found rampant in 22 service sectors that are considered to be "riddled with petty corruption."

In other words, the TIB report put a number on the suffering of citizens who have to cross a lot of invisible hurdles before they can get a service from public officials, whose salaries are paid from their taxes. At least 70.5 percent of households reported having to deal with graft when getting passport-related services, while 68.3 percent had to face the same when getting the services of BRTA. Ironically, 74.4 percent of respondents had to face corruption when seeking the services of law enforcement agencies. If such lawlessness is demonstrated by those tasked with enforcing the law of the land, it proves how embedded corruption has become in our system. And the authorities are clearly in no rush to hold these corrupt officials to account, either.

Read more

Foreign trips are no gifts to be doled out to state officials

From the look of things, there seems to be a lot of institutional tolerance for corruption, as there is a lot of barriers to preventing it or punishing corrupt officers. For example, section 41(1) of the Public Service Act 2018 requires law enforcers to get prior approval from the government or relevant agencies to detain government officials in criminal cases. The High Court recently declared this provision illegal, but the verdict has been stayed by the Supreme Court till October 23, meaning that the legal barrier to prosecuting state officials for crimes, including corruption, will continue to be in a place for some more time.

Read more

The politicisation of police

As for the TIB report, it has been found that citizens were less likely to face demands for bribes when seeking digitalised public services. While it is recommended that all public sectors utilise digitalisation wherever possible to make things easier and faster for citizens, this is no answer to corruption. Corrupt officials have shown considerable ingenuity in finding new methods of continuing their practice. Therefore, the Anti-Corruption Commission must be allowed to play a leading role in finding and prosecuting them. We urge the higher authorities to match their zero-tolerance commitment with stern action to combat corruption and establish accountability in all service sectors.

The proposed Income Tax Bill 2023, which contains a section that restricts officials of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) from accessing tax files of suspects under investigation without a court order, serves as yet another threat to the fight against corruption in Bangladesh. This provision, if enacted, would unnecessarily complicate and lengthen investigations, potentially allowing corrupt individuals to exploit legal loopholes and evade justice. While speaking to The Daily Star, some ACC officials have rightly expressed their frustration, saying they don't know for whose benefit is the anti-graft body's investigative power being curtailed.

Read more

Don’t clip the wings of investigators

That is precisely our question as well. Tax returns play an important role in uncovering illegal wealth and serve as crucial evidence in investigations. Under the current system, the ACC initiates an investigation upon receiving a complaint regarding illegal wealth. ACC officers obtain tax returns from the National Board of Revenue and cross-check the information provided in the wealth statement of suspects. They also verify the details of movable and immovable properties through records from banks and other relevant organisations. If any irregularities are detected, they proceed to file cases. But the proposed restriction seems to benefit the very individuals the ACC is tasked with investigating, thus undermining its ability to tackle corruption.

Read more

Our anti-corruption capacity is hostage to power

As some have pointed out, it also contradicts article 20(2) of the Constitution, which criminalises unearned income, and even overrides the ACC Act itself, which empowers it to access information from government organisations during corruption inquiries. Why then, we must ask, are the authorities empowering potentially corrupt individuals when they should be empowering the ACC? The latest move comes at a time when its investigative authority stands severely diminished. In the past years, we have seen various efforts, legal and administrative, to curtail the power of the ACC in investigating corruption, especially high-profile cases. We have seen how it has been virtually turned into a "toothless tiger", its track record marked by woefully low conviction rates and a backlog of unresolved complaints/cases.

Read more

Can a bureaucrat-reliant ACC really be independent?

The proposed income tax bill is only the latest assault on the ACC and its investigators. And it is totally unacceptable. The fight against corruption requires a strong, independent, and empowered ACC that can hold the corrupt accountable, regardless of their influence and standing. We urge the government to recognise the ramifications of this provision, and drop it from the bill.