'ACC is a toothless tiger'

Outgoing Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Ghulam Rahman has admitted that the anti-graft body failed to become a strong and effective institution during the past four years.

“When I took over the Chairman four years ago, I had called it a toothless tiger. It cannot be said that the situation has improved significantly in these four years,” Rahman said in his last press conference as the ACC chief on Wednesday.

Rahman retires on June 23.

He felt that ‘legal limitations and the slow-pace of the judiciary’ were hampering the watchdog’s work.

After Rahman assumed office on June 23, 2009, the ACC started investigations into a number of scams.

Among them were the much-talked-about cases of fraud like the misappropriation of Tk 26 billion with the help of forged documents by the Hall-Mark Group, laundering and misappropriation of Tk 32.85 billion by the Destiny Group and the irregularities in the Bangladesh Railway’s recruitment process.

The trial in these cases is yet over.

The ACC is also probing alleged bribery charges in the Padma bridge project but a World Bank panel has raised doubts about the way it is being conducted.

Commenting on the ACC’s effectiveness, Rahman said: “I could have said I am successful if I saw after I retired that at least 150 high-profile corrupt people were languishing in jail.”

He, however, said that the ACC had instilled a sense of confidence among the people.

About the legal limitations, Rahman, who was also a former Chairman of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), said, “Both Hall-Mark and Destiny incidents are big graft cases. I was in favour for taking a quick decision but couldn’t because of the legal process.”

“Besides, we, the ACC, have to wait until the submission of the FIR (first information report) if we want to arrest anyone. As a result, the accused gets some breathing time.”

Rahman, however, said that he had no intension to ‘spare’ anyone during his term.

About the bribery charges in the Padma bridge project, he said: “We’ve always tried to probe the case with the highest transparency and neutrality. I cannot accept that what they (World Bank) have said at different times is right and that we have to act accordingly.”

A three-member World Bank external panel of experts, led by Louis Moreno-Ocampo, said in its report that the ACC's investigation did not appear to be comprehensive and fair.