Conviction rate in ACC cases now 70%: ACC chief
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Chairman Iqbal Mahmood today claimed that the conviction rate in graft cases filed by the ACC reached 70 percent in the last five months.
"We've been informed that the conviction rate in graft is about 90 percent in Bhutan...in Bangladesh, graft accused have been convicted in 70 percent cases in last five months," he said.
The ACC chief was speaking a joint press conference at ACC's conference room in Dhaka after signing an agreement with Bhutan's Anti-Corruption Commission.
The conviction rate in the ACC's graft cases was 54 percent in 2016. But, official data shows that 36 graft cases were settled in court last month while graft suspects were convicted in 23 cases.
On the occasion, the national anti-graft agencies of Bhutan and Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), aiming to enhance mutual cooperation in fighting graft.
ACC Chairman Iqbal Mahmood and his Bhutanese counterpart Kinley Yangzom signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides.
Under the agreement, the two anti-graft bodies will exchange relevant information for primary fact inquiry, detection, substantiation and prevention of corruption, and share effective tools, techniques and best practices towards enhancing the investigative capacity of officials in conducting probes.
Speaking at the joint press conference after the MoU signing, Kinley Yangzom said the Bhutanese government shows zero tolerance to corruption and it is committed to bringing all the graft suspects to justice.
Responding to a question, she said the nature of corruption in Bhutan and Bangladesh is the same and the MoU has created scopes to increase mutual cooperation in formulation of policies, strategies and programmes to prevent corruption in both the countries.
The Bhutan's ACC chief said the MoU will help increase the capacity of the ACC of Bangladesh and her agency in fighting corruption.
Iqbal Mahmood said checking corruption is a real challenge for Bangladesh and the commission is trying its best to fight it out, claiming that Bangladesh has a strong political will to prevent graft.
ACC commissioners Dr Md Nasiruddin Ahmed and AFM Aminul Islam and Bhutan Ambassador in Dhaka Sonam Tobden Rabgye were present at the press conference.
A five-member delegation of Bhutan's ACC, led by Kinley Yangzom, arrived in Dhaka on Monday on a six-day visit aiming to enhance mutual cooperation with the ACC of Bangladesh in fighting graft.
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