Police get back power to probe

Parliament yesterday passed the Anti-Corruption Commission (amendment) Bill-2016, empowering the police to investigate some fraud and forgery charges which were previously dealt with by the ACC.

Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, also in charge of the Cabinet Division in parliamentary affairs, had placed the bill in the House on November 22 last year. The bill was passed by a voice vote.

With the passage of the bill, the ACC lost its authority to deal with the cases under sections 408, 462A, 462B, 466, 467 and 469 of the Penal Code, 1860.

The bill is aimed at fighting corruption and further strengthening the ACC. The government hoped that the changes to the law would help significantly increase the rate of settlement of cases.

Instead of the graft watchdog, the police will now investigate charges against bank officials and employees of neglecting duties, against any banking company of fraud, charges of forgery of court record or public register, valuable security, and   criminal breach of trust by any clerk or servant in case of a public      property.

The ACC, however, will be probing fraud and forgery charges involving government properties, public servants and bank employees.

The bill stipulates that the graft watchdog will probe money laundering charges related to only bribery and corruption under the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012.

Under the ACC Act of 2004, scheduled offences included possession of properties beyond known sources of income, embezzlement of government properties and criminal breach of trust.

In 2009, the offence of money laundering was included in the schedule.

In another amendment brought to the ACC Act in the same year, the graft watchdog was empowered to investigate offences under sections 420, 467, 468, 469 and 471 of the Penal Code.

Section 420 deals with cases of fraud while the others deal with lawsuits of forgery and embezzlement of personal properties.

The graft watchdog didn't investigate all the cases citing skeleton staff, causing piling up of such cases.