Bringing Back Corrupt Officials : ACC seeks Aussie support
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has sought information from the Australian government on the corrupt Bangladeshi persons who have fled to and invested in the island continent.
“We’ve information that some corrupt Bangladeshis have fled to Australia. They invested their ill-earned money in real estate and other businesses,” ACC Chairman Iqbal Mahmood said at a bilateral meeting with Australian government high-ups in the UAE.
He sought cooperation from Australian government to bring back the culprits and their laundered money.
The meeting was held with Executive Director Secretariat of Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity Craig Furry and Assistant Director of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Dr Stephen Mcelhinney, said a press release.
Iqbal said corruption is a global problem. “The problem [for Bangladesh] is that they [corruptors] launder their ill-gotten money to other countries. A coordinated effort is needed to curb corruption,” he said.
Bangladesh has sought information of laundered money from some countries through “mutual legal assistance request”.
“If they response quickly, case proceedings will be expedited,” the ACC chief added.
In June, ACC filed a case against a suspended Directorate General of Health Services employee Abzal Hossain and his wife Rubina Khanam for amassing about Tk 36 crore beyond known source of income and concealed information of about Tk 7 crore in their wealth statement.
ACC also found Abzal, who fled the country, bought a house in Sydney, spending more than US$ 200,000.
An ACC team led by Iqbal participated in the 8th Session of the Conference of the State Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), taking place in the UAE from December 16.
On December 17, at a session, the ACC chairman said they have seized wealth worth about Tk 24.8 crore between January and October this year.
At the same time, about Tk 4.6 crore from five foreign bank accounts were seized.
Besides, about 12.44-acre land, 10 houses, four luxury apartments and six cars have also been seized.
Pointing out importance of mutual cooperation, Iqbal said the anti-graft watchdog has brought back about Tk 18.7 crore from Singapore in money laundering cases and helped the UK to recover another Tk 1.8 crore.
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