Shawdesh Desk:

The formation of the new commission has brought speed back to the Anti-Corruption Commission’s work. In just five days since its formation, the new commission’s scrutiny of heavyweight corruption suspects, deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina among them, has gathered a fast pace.

In a flurry of activity in just five days, starting from its first working day on December 12, the agency filed cases and launched inquiries against high-profile corruption suspects, conducted anti-graft drives and issued international travel bans on suspects.

In December 12–19, the agency filed 20 cases against around 100 mostly powerful corruption suspects, former ministers, lawmakers, top bosses of banks and businessmen among them.

It also launched inquiries against at least 20 bigwig corruption suspects, conducted 29 anti-graft drives at different government offices, and issued international travel bans on around 30 high-profile corruption suspects during this time.

‘The commission will not spare any corrupt individual, and no favouritism will be shown to any special cadres or individuals,’ stated its director general for prevention Md Aktar Hossain.

Officials said that the commission’s activities were almost stalled for more than one month until the appointment of a new chairman and commissioners on December 10.

After joining office on December 11, its new chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen said that the commission would start probes into the allegations against ‘big fish’ immediately, as it was the expectation of people.

‘We will take action immediately about those cases of corruption that significantly affected the country and take action against the culprits behind the corruption,’ he said at the time.

In its first five working days, at least 20 cases were filed against around 100 corruption suspects, including former ministers Zahid Maleque, Sadan Chandra Mojumder and Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury, and former state ministers Mirza Azam and Zunaied Ahmed Palak, over allegations of  amassing illegal wealth.

The accused in these cases also include former inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed, former Detective Branch of police chief Harun-or-Rashid, former lawmakers Nizam Uddin Hazari and Naimur Rahman Durjoy, former National Board of Revenue official Matiur Rahman, former Islami Bank chairman Ahsanul Alam, and the bank’s managing director Mohammad Monirul Moula.

The commission has also sped up its probes into new graft allegations, while widening its net in a bid to bring more individuals under scrutiny.

The ACC launched inquiries against at least 20 heavyweights, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana and son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, former minister and Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, former IFIC Bank chairman Salman F Rahman, former managing director Shah Alam Sarwar, former revenue board chairman Najibur Rahman, sacked major general Ziaul Ahsan, former secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, and S Alam Group chairman Mohammad Saiful Alam, over allegations of amassing illegal wealth, power abuse and money laundering.

Regarding inquiries, the commission has started an inquiry into allegations of embezzling Tk 80,000 crore by Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and Rehana’s daughter Tulip Siddiq from different development projects, including the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project initiated during the Awami League regime.

The agency also issued travel bans on around 30 people, including former ministers Amir Hossain Amu, Mujibul Haque and Shariar Alam, former lawmakers Nurnabi Chowdhury Shawon, Abu Jahir, and Alauddin Ahmed Chowdhury Nasim, Bahauddin Bahar, Dhaka Regency hotel managing director Kabir Reza, Samabay Bank former chairman Mohiuddin Ahmed, and former Cumilla city mayor Thasin Bahar Suchana.

The commission’s enforcement unit in these five days also conducted around 30 anti-corruption drives at different government offices, including the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, passport offices, land offices and the Election commission office.

When asked, former commission director general Moyeedul Islam told New Age, ‘The new commission is now filing cases and initiating inquiries that were pending during its absence.’

‘If the new commission can net “big fishes”, those who are involved with mega corruption and ensures punishment for them, its capacity would be proved only then,’ he added.

Experts and stakeholders have long been suggesting reforms in the Anti-Corruption Commission to sufficiently empower it to act with effective independence, freeing it from both political and bureaucratic influences.

Successive governments through its authority over appointing the top brass of the agency, placed its favoured officers in the commission and maintained comfortable control over it. As a result, the commission’s ability to act with independence in fighting corruption had severely been stymied right from its establishment in 2004, experts told New Age.

Despite officially being an independent agency, the ACC has rather been used as a weapon by the political governments against their opponents, they observe.

For the same reason, the agency could rarely take into account the corruption allegations brought against the powerful ones, belonging to or associated with the ruling parties, experts have said.

Former senior secretary Mohammad Abdul Momen was appointed as the commission chairman with former district and sessions judge Mia Mohammad Ali Akbar Azizi and Brigadier General (retd) Hafiz Ahsan Farid appointed as commissioners on December 9.