ACC’s soft approach to big corruption

THE Anti-Corruption Commission didn’t take any step against the large-scale corruption allegations that the government faces over its procurement processes for projects as well as departments. The ACC has not yet taken any action against corruption by different organizations, including Green City Housing Project for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, the Directorate General of Health Services, Faridpur Medical College and the Armed Police Battalion-6. The ACC’s Allegation Scrutiny Cell officials said that until September 17 the Complaint Receiving Section did not forward any complaint to them. Meanwhile, opposition political parties and good governance campaigners blasted the government over its endemic corruption.
According to the allegations, the Public Works Department purchased at astronomically high prices electric stoves, electric kettles, room cleaners, TV sets, refrigerators, pillows and washing machines, to furnish apartments for the Russian engineers and officials of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. One example is enough– each pillow cost Tk 5,957 with additional lifting cost of Tk 760. On the other hand, the Directorate General of Health Services was astonished over the medical college submitting inflated bills to the tune of Tk 41 crore for buying oxygen generating plant, vacuum cleaners, blood pressure digital machines and curtains. The hospital authorities had shown the price of a bedside screen for the ICU as Tk 37.50 lakh. In a separate scam, the Health Directorate paid Tk 85,500 for each copy of the book ‘Principle and Practice of Surgery,’ for surgery students of Sheikh Sayera Khatun Medical College in Gopalganj while its actual price was Tk 5,500. Another mega corruption occurred in Khagrachhari in 10 projects of Armed Police Battalion-6 where each corrugated iron sheet was bought at Tk 1 lakh, 100 times its market price.
Corruption at present is not only widespread but also appeared as epidemic. It is hard to find out a single organization which is corruption-free. We often see that ACC top bosses issue bombastic statements against corruption. But in fact, they never go for catching the big fishes. The silence of Commission against the mega corruption proves that they are assigned only to protect corrupts.