Taking loans v tackling laundering: Which serves our long-term interests best?
Fighting tax evasion, preventing trade-based illicit financial outflows and ending the culture of money laundering and loan defaults is a much more sustainable solution to adding to foreign exchange reserves than taking foreign loans on interest.
Anti-Discrimination Bill 2022: Can it fit the purpose?
The draft Anti-Discrimination Bill 2022 was placed in parliament on April 5, 2022. Long years of civil society engagement and advocacy with the government have catalysed this initiative.
Draft mass media employees bill: Towards stricter control?
The draft Mass Media Employees (Services Conditions) Bill, placed in parliament on April 1, 2022, is a long-overdue initiative.
Why wait for a deadly war to act against kleptocrats?
Two weeks after the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, how it may eventually evolve remains uncertain, given Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s apparent mission of neutralising the neighbour—which could imply virtual annexation.
Can ACC salvage its self-inflicted reputational damage?
Since its creation in 2004, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has always faced trust and credibility issues.
Tackling corruption for inclusive development
Bangladesh has transformed from a war-ravaged, resource-starved and acutely poverty-stricken least developed country (LDC) at independence in 1971, into a low middle income country by 2015.
Disappointing CPI score: What trajectory is Bangladesh on?
The Transparency International (TI) released its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2021 on January 25, 2022.
Can illicit financial transfers be controlled?
According to the latest report of the US-based NGO Global Financial Integrity (GFI) on trade-based illicit financial transfers, between 2009 and 2018, Bangladesh lost a staggering USD 8.275 billion (Tk 71,000 crore) per year, on average, through misinvoicing in export and import trade.
Expand space for accountability to control corruption
December 9 is observed as the International Anti-corruption Day (IACD). On this day in 2003, the United Nations called upon governments and peoples of the world to mark the adoption of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
Bangladesh needs to upgrade its defence integrity structure
The Berlin-based Transparency International released its “Government Defence Integrity (GDI) Index 2020” on November 16, 2021.