ACC picks 1,766 out of 82,633 complaints

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The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) so far found 1,766 complaints valid for investigation out of 82,633 lodged with the commission.

The ACC yesterday issued notices upon Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka’s son Ishrak Hossain and daughter Sharika Hossain asking them to submit their wealth statements to the commission. The son and daughter of Khoka did not receive the ACC notices. The commission posted the notices to home of the city mayor yesterday.

Meanwhile, the ACC also approved two charge sheets against two people, including former Khulna City Corporation mayor Kazi Aminul Haque, in cases filed in connection with concealing wealth information to the ACC and amassing wealth beyond known sources of income.

ACC Director General (admin) Col Hanif Iqbal told these to the press during a routine press briefing yesterday afternoon.

As of August 31, 2008 the three committees formed on December 12 last year to scrutinise complaints lodged with the commission selected the 1,766 complaints in accordance with the ACC Act, 2004.

The ACC also mentioned that only five percent of the total complaints are allowed for the ACC to act upon while 60 percent are regarding land and forged land documents, 20 percent are related to police cases and 15 percent related to family and social affairs.

The ACC teams have made a database of the complaints found worthy of investigation and the commission has already begun working on 51 complaints.

The list of selected complaints include allegations against former LGED additional chief engineer Wahidur Rahman, former Water Development Board (WDB) member Kamruzzaman, former Chittagong Port inspector Abul Boshor Chowdhury, and former additional deputy inspector general (DIG) of police Shahidullah.

The first and second committees scrutinised 57,156 complaints filed with the commission between November 21, 2004, when the commission was formed, and December 12, 2007. The third committee scrutinised the rest 25,477 complaints filed with the commission after that.

The ACC could not consider all the complaints for investigation as those lacked accurate and specific information. The ACC also mentioned that a number of the allegations were based on enmity rather than facts.

ACC sources said the complaints which were taken into consideration are against government officials including sub-registrars, customs officials and officials from the land department.

The 10 grounds the ACC teams considered while scrutinising the complaints include full address of the complainants and specific and detailed complaints. The ACC charter includes cases regarding amassing wealth illegally, cheating, giving false account, misappropriation, money laundering and collaborated corruption.

“We have selected the complaints considering the status of the departments or institutions the accused belong to. For an instance we entertained almost every complaint having merits against LGED, registration department, police and customs,” an ACC official said preferring anonymity.

“If evidence is found that ACC officials were involved in the bribery case against former Justice Fazlul Haque, action will be taken against them,” said Hanif Iqbal when asked if the people arrested on charge of taking bribe from Fazlul Haque to get him acquitted in a case had connections with a number of ACC officials.

Replying to a question over the release of high-profile corruption suspects on bail, Hanif said, “A case against a corruption suspect will run until the higher court quashes it. Until the case is disposed of at higher courts, the accused will be considered a corruption suspect.”

“There can be no question about the ACC being ‘managed’,” Hanif Iqbal said when asked if the ACC was “managed” since high-profile corruption suspects are getting bail.

CHARGE SHEETS

The charge sheet against Kazi Aminul Haque will be submitted in connection with concealing information about wealth worth Tk 34.30 lakh from the commission and amassing wealth worth Tk 55.47 lakh beyond known sources of his income.

In the other charge sheet approved yesterday, sub-registrar of Rajshahi Dewan Mojahar Hossain will be accused of concealing information about wealth worth Tk 31.48 lakh and amassing wealth worth Tk 49.96 lakh beyond known sources of his income.

The ACC yesterday also approved filing of a case against former chief engineer of WDB, Dhaka Azhar Ali and 12 others in connection with abusing power and corruption causing a loss of Tk 57.35 lakh to the state.

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