Save Anti-Corruption Commission from corruption

STARTING as a medical representative, Mobarak Hossain turned into a businessman within a short time and became a director of Rupayan Group, a real estate company, according to ACC officials. He was asked for his wealth statement by the ACC and submitted his wealth statement within the stipulated time, as reported by a local daily.Deputy Directors Zahid Hossain and Golam Mostafa, who were acquainted with Mobarak, assured him that they would manage the ACC if it harasses him. In return, they asked for Tk 37 lakh. Mobarak met their demand but kept an audio record of their conversation regarding the bribe, said in a complaint he submitted to the acting chairman of ACC. The duo didn’t stop there. They demanded Tk 20 lakh more; otherwise, they would put him in trouble, it added, as stated in the report.The realtor complained to the ACC and also submitted a compact disk along with the complaint on June 10, saying the disk contained the conversation. ACC acting chairman Mohammad Shahabuddin told the newsman that the Commission on Tuesday filed a departmental case against the two deputy directors. The anti-graft watchdog will now launch an investigation and if the probe finds the two guilty, they will lose jobs as per the ACC (Employees) Service Rule 2008, he added. Asked whether there would be any criminal case against the two, another top ACC official said usually such offenders are not tried twice. It is not unusual for certain public officials to think of their offices as sinecures and as a means to extort their power to amass the highest possible wealth in the form of bribes and other kickbacks. This practice has been going on for a very long time. What is new is that the form of corruption experienced by the businessman has come from the very people who are supposed to be the watchdogs of corruption in the first place – it is the task of the ACC to root out corruption. Earlier, this year two other directors were forced into retirement because of misuse of power and top officials in the ACC have accused some of their colleagues of amassing huge amounts of illegal wealth.How can one stop this – a rule already exists which makes it mandatory for ACC officials to submit wealth and income statements but like most rules in the country it is not followed. And who will investigate corruption of Anti-Corruption officials.? The reality is that the Anti-Corruption Commission needs to be saved from corruption by giving limited power of dealing with corruption in high government places. The blame lies with corrupt political leadership with no experience of governance. In order to protect the corruption in government places they have allowed Anti-Corruption Commission to remain busy with private offences. The Anti-Corruption Commission has no usefulness in fighting corruption in the government in its present form.