ACC has no authority to bring back laundered money

Staff Reporter :
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) doesn’t have the authority to bring back the money laundered from abroad as the ACC cannot communicate directly with the countries where the money laundered.
It needs to go to different government offices for necessary information and their assistance.
ACC Chairman Mohammad Moyeen Uddin Abdullah said this while exchanging views with media personnel at the ACC auditorium marking its 18th founding anniversary on Monday.
“We don’t have the authority to bring back the money laundered from the country as the ACC cannot communicate directly with the countries where the money laundered. We need to go to different government offices for
necessary information and their assistance. But, the informations are not given duly as most of the officials are not interested to cooperate giving information,” he said while exchanging views with media personnel at the ACC auditorium marking its 18th founding anniversary.
“We need to bear the responsibility of money laundering. But, it’s not in the schedule of the ACC. It was taken from us. The ACC doesn’t have the authority to work on the matter,” the ACC Chairman said, adding, “At least seven organisations have been working on the money laundering issue. ACC is one of the seven bodies. But, we are working to prevent money laundering.”
“However, the process of bringing the laundered money back is too lengthy. We need to work in different ways to bring the money back,” he said, further adding, “If you want to involve the ACC with the matter deeply, it’s urgent to amend the law or promulgate new law, so that ACC can communicate with the countries where the money is being laundered.”
In response to a query over grabbing big fishes, ACC Commission Jahurul Haque told media, “Not only the smalls, the big fishes, which have world records, have also been arrested during the ACC drives.”
He said, “It’s not that we are not doing it. We are working on the issue. But, you are not informed about all issues. You are also not publishing all matters. You always say that we are catching only small fishes. But, you are not watching the big fishes, ACC caught. We have caught the big fishes who have world records.”
“The ACC have seized the properties of corrupts from different countries along with local. The ACC has filed eight in 2020 and 13 in 2021 while four charge sheets were submitted in 2022 and one in 2021. The results of almost 80 per cent charge sheets submitted would come on behalf of ACC,” he added.