The teeth of the Anti-Corruption Commission have not yet become as sharp as they need to be and its claws have also not fully grown, according to ACC Chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen.
The ACC chairman made the remark during an exchange of views with media personnel on the occasion of the ACC’s anniversary in response to a journalist’s question asking if the ACC was still a “toothless and clawless tiger.”
The meeting was held on Tuesday in the ACC’s conference room in Segunbagicha. ACC Commissioner Miah Muhammad Ali Akbar Azizi, Brigadier General (Retd) Hafiz Ahsan Farid, and Secretary Mohammad Khaled Rahim were present at the time.
ACC Chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen stated that if there were any attempts to exert pressure to obstruct corruption investigations or inquiries in the future, the names of those responsible would be made public.
He said, “We will publicly reveal the names of those who try to exert pressure.”
When asked if the ACC does, in fact, feel any pressure, he said that the person involved in corruption faces more pressure. If one is not corrupt and keeps their integrity intact, there will be less pressure to deal with, he added.
“In the coming days, we will publish the names of those who unjustly pressure the ACC,” he added.
The ACC chairman added that he believes that preventing corruption across various parts of Bangladesh is not the task of the ACC alone. Citing Singapore as a successful example in preventing corruption, he said that every institution in that country itself acts as a corruption deterrent.
“Corrupt activities should be resolved within the offices – where internal audits and external audits happen,” the ACC chairman said.
Expressing hope for a fair election held in a timely manner, he said, “We have seen the dominance of black money in elections before. Perhaps it will happen this time.” Proposing to increase the punishment for the corrupt, he said, “If you embezzle Tk10 crore, and you misappropriate Tk1 crore here and there, you still profit Tk9 crore. If a penalty of Tk100 crore is imposed for embezzling Tk10 crore, they won’t do it anymore.”
When asked about the progress of the investigation into the corruption allegations involving the personal secretaries of the advisers, he said, “We had four files. The inquiries into them are nearing completion; the tasks are not fully completed yet. Once completed, everyone will know.”
