ACC hotline awash with complaints

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has received more than one lakh complaints in its hotline in last nine days and sent around 300 of those to its respective divisions for enquiry.

If the commission finds the complaints to have had merit, they would file cases against the respective persons involved in corruption.

The ACC launched the hotline 106 on July 27 and has so far received 1.12 lakh calls from across the country.

About 50 percent of the complaints came from Rajshahi, Rangpur and Khulna divisions and 23 percent of the total complaints were against bribe, said ACC Director AKM Zayed Hossain Khan who is supervising the helpline.

A person called from Rangpur to complain against the land assistant officer of a local land office for allegedly demanding bribe for registration.

He said everything was okay, but the land official claimed a portion of his land was khas land.

“I visited the office several times and at one stage they demanded bribe for the registration,” said an ACC officer quoting the caller.

He however had to comply with their demand, he added.

“The rate of bribe is fixed to at least Tk 10,000 around the country's land offices. You cannot do any work without bribe,” he alleged.

“The ACC needs to net the corruptors red-handed during taking or demanding bribe. Otherwise, it will be difficult to prove the case,” Zayed said.

On July 27, an ACC team arrested Helal Uddin, land assistant officer of Trishal union of Mymensingh, red-handed in the act of taking bribe.

In November last year, the commission arrested two land officials of Nababpur union land office in Rajbari red-handed during taking bribe.

Zayed said if the deputy commissioners and additional deputy commissioners (revenue) become strict, no such incidents of bribe taking would take place.

ACC officials said many people filed complaints that do not fall under their jurisdiction. For instance, three people called yesterday over Chikungunya, which ACC has nothing to do about it.

“The incidents in which people are involved in misusing government power and money fall under the purview of the ACC Act,” the director said, encouraging people to call on the hotline with relevant documents.

Five officers are attending calls every day from 9:00am to 5:00pm on the weekdays.

The ACC has already prepared a database of government officials of different departments for making quick communication.

Moreover, at the receiver's end there would be several submenus to categorise the types of graft and amount of illegal financial transaction.

ACC Chairman Iqbal Mahmood had earlier directed his officials to respond to calls cordially.

Since his joining as the ACC chairman on April 2016, Iqbal has taken various measures to strengthen the commission.