ACC chairman urges all to report graft wherever they see it

ACC Chairman Dr. Abdul Momen urges public cooperation to expose and curb corruption. File Photo

Dhaka, Feb 17 -Seeking cooperation to curb corruption, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Chairman Dr. Abdul Momen on Monday urged all not to suppress or hide any graft incident.

Many major corruption allegations, often settled through negotiations, go unreported, with contractors, department heads and even journalists failing to bring them to light, he said.

Dr Momen made these remarks while talking to reporters after a session of the Deputy Commissioner’s Conference at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.

ACC Commissioners Miah Mohammad Ali Akbar Aziz, Brig. Gen (retd.) Hafiz Ahsan Farid and Secretary Khorsheda Yasmin were also present.

Dr Momen said, "We get reports about smaller corruption cases. However, larger corruption, often settled through mutual agreements, remains unreported. Contractors, department heads, and even journalists do not share these stories. Our request is that reports on major corruption should be brought forward more often. There is no problem with increased reporting on corruption. We must ensure that we do not suppress or hide these stories."

The attending DCs assured him they will work on this issue, he said.

Addressing the chief adviser’s Sunday speech against corruption, the ACC chairman focused on preventing future corruption rather than merely addressing past cases.

He, however, put forward their limitations in conducting drives in every district for lack of logistic support.

Emphasising the goal of reducing current corruption and resolving investigations and trials of older cases within a short timeframe, he said the ACC spends 90 to 95% of its time dealing with old corruption cases.

"But the Chief Adviser has suggested that 20% of our time should focus on past corruption, 30% on current corruption, and 50% on preventing future corruption. We have accepted this guidance and communicated it to the District Commissioners, who are the key officials at the grassroots level. They are the ones who are first informed when any event occurs and are held accountable when corruption is involved,” he said.

When asked about the ACC's stance on Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report, he said first of all they haven't examined the report. The CPI is based on a matrix, which may have its controversies, but it is accepted by 180 countries. They cannot ignore this.

Warning of strict action against corrupted people, he said the ACC has no conflict with opposing views but rather with those engaged in corruption.

"Even if I were involved in corruption, there could be a conflict with us. Our ultimate goal is to bring those who violate the law to justice. We will continue our efforts to prevent future corruption," he added. - UNB