ACC must not give publicity before case is ready for FIR

The High Court on Wednesday severely rebuked the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for dragging its feet and inefficiency in investigating the cases over the BASIC Bank loan scam. The Bench of Justices put the blame while hearing three petitions filed by the former general manager of the Internal Credit Division of BASIC Bank.

In most cases the Commission people move after corruption news comes out in the media. They become busy with their inquiry and go on taking time and showing their arbitrary power. It is quite obvious the officials are mostly incompetent and they do not know how to go after finding corruption material. The Commission’s record of success is very dismal against big corruptions.

The Chairman of the Commission must exercise supervisory power more strictly and explain the importance of the Commission. They must have the courage to go after big corruption and complete the processes of enquiry and investigation efficiently and wasting no time. He must also check abuse of power by his officials.

At the enquiry stage when looking for material to substantiate corruption allegation precaution should be taken not to give media publicity. But such consideration is not shown. But at the enquiry stage the Commission proceeds when they have nothing to show about corruption allegations. Why there should be a publicity just to humiliate?

In the BASIC bank scam case, the Commission has kept the investigation pending for years. Meanwhile thousands of crores of taka have disappeared from banks. In the case of BASIC bank, Tk 4,500 crore was siphoned out of the Bank between 2009 and 2013 when Abdul Hye Bacchu chaired the board of the bank. Yet, not even a single case out of the couple of dozen cases involved him in the mammoth corruption. This is unprecedented and mysterious.

The Commission has to justify its existence by going against big corruption in high places if they want to fight corruption.