Let ACC fight corruption within the country

THE New Nation reported on Tuesday that the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has initiated investigation into financial irregularities at 11 high profile Bangladesh missions abroad. Indiscipline and financial scandals in those missions are going almost out of control as allegations galore against them and the ACC said they have initiated the probe based on such allegations. The ACC has been so far blamed as a spineless body and public perception about the organization is very poor until now, which has only exonerated the pro-government people and implicated people opposed to the government in cases to justify its presence. We hope that the new Chairman of the Commission knows about the people’s view and in our view should start with fights to stop corruption in public organizations within the country before jumping to Bangladesh missions outside. It is unnecessary to create opportunities to make foreign visits by ACC officials and the Chairman himself when corruptions galore at every public institutions bringing them to the brink. Dishonest people have swindled huge money from state-owned banks under fictitious loan accounts. Money from Bangladesh Bank accounts in New York has been stolen and all indications suggest that people within the central bank collaborated with hackers in the money heist scheme. Politicians and contractors are ruthlessly exploiting big development projects like flyovers under ghost billing and false projects accounts. Our question is why the ACC does not see these scandalous financial irregularities and business deals siphoning money from banks and state exchequer. Everyone had expected that ACC would open investigations into the money heist of Bangladesh Bank and other state-owned banks. Even ACC said it was watching the Central Bank money heist issue but its disclosure of opening probe in Bangladesh foreign missions abroad suggest that they are not chasing corruption where it is hurting the most and making schemes to visit abroad in the name of probing foreign missions. We don’t deny that these foreign missions as reported in our daily are swarming with corruption, there is no doubt their financial irregularities are also hurting the nation. But when the ACC is making its choice of opening investigations it does not see the massive corruption around it and planning for overseas probe. We would like to ask the ACC authorities please see around and catch the dishonest people who are destroying the country’s banks and financial institutions. It is not time for pleasure trips anyway.