ACC fails to move on from agency probes

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During the anti-graft drive over the last 17 months, around a dozen investigation reports have been submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on high profile graft suspects’ involvement in money laundering.

But the anti-graft body has yet to act on those as the whole process of proving money laundering charges is very complex under the new law titled Money Laundering Prevention Ordinance 2008, said sources in the ACC.

Despite findings convincing enough to take legal course against some ex-ministers, lawmakers and businessmen for money laundering, the ACC incorporated the assets that might have something to do with money laundering into the cases filed on charges of making wealth through illegal means.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an ACC official said as most of the investigations were carried out in the light of the repealed law, it is now difficult to prove money laundering cases within the framework of the new law.

He also said they have started working to find out ways to prepare those reports following the new money laundering prevention ordinance.

The issue came to the fore when the joint forces on Friday arrested HRC Group Chairman Sayeed Hossain Chowdhury at his Gulshan residence on charges of money laundering and keeping properties in different other names.

Sayeed’s arrest followed leads by an intelligence agency regarding his links to money laundering.

The ACC however said they have not received any report on money laundering charges against the businessman.

Speaking on condition of anonymity since his position does not allow him to talk to the press on the issue, an ACC official said, “We have received some investigation reports from the task forces under National Coordination Committee, but could not proceed against any of the suspects for some technical reasons.”

They have several reports against former minister Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu alone.

Immediately after the anti-corruption drive began in February last year, Dulu withdrew Tk 1.57 crore from his account with Babubazar branch of Social Investment Bank Ltd (SIBL) and deposited it in an account of Mohammad Quddus with the same branch.

The investigators found out that it is in fact the BNP leader who owns the account in the name of Quddus.

The same month, he withdrew Tk 77 lakh from his account with Moulvibazar branch of SIBL and paid it into an account in the name of Mohammad Mominuddin with the same branch.

Again, the investigators concluded that Dulu is the one who opened the account in the name of Mominuddin.

Sources said the investigators gathered evidence about his involvement in some more incidents of money laundering.

They proposed filing several cases against him under the anti-money laundering act, but nothing happened to that end.

An ACC official said the anti-graft body had no jurisdiction to initiate legal steps on money laundering charges until the middle of last year when the offence was at last included in the schedule of the ACC Act-2004.

The government introduced anti-money laundering law in 2002, and at that time, the now defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption (Bac) was responsible for taking legal steps regarding the crime.

But the ACC stopped doing anything about money laundering when the offence was left out of its schedule in 2004.

Between 2002 and 2004, Bac filed 35 cases for money laundering offences, but as of now there has been no progress in that regard.

The present government repealed the anti-money laundering act and promulgated a new ordinance this year to prevent illegal transfer of money.

An ACC official said so far they have won one money laundering case when this year a court gave verdict in their favour in the case against Rajib Siraj, son of ex-BNP minister Shajahan Siraj.

The anti-graft body has also filed cases against former Awami League (AL) lawmaker AHM Mostafa Kamal alias Lotus Kamal and owner of Uttara Group Giridhari Lal Modi.

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