Curtailing ACC's power to aggravate corruption in public offices

The new provision requiring Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to obtain government permission before filing corruption cases against government officials will aggravate the malpractice in public offices, observed speakers at a discussion yesterday.
Corrupt public officials had an instinctive fear about ACC but the new provision of the law passed on November 10 will now enable them to act with impunity, they said.
Almost all of the country's development partners expressed concern over this curtailing of ACC's power, they told the discussion ACC organised in the capital's Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy marking “International Anti-Corruption Day-2013”.
ACC observed the day with the slogan “We together will build corruption free country -Bangladesh”.
ACC Chairman Mohammad Badiuzzaman, as chief guest, said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had assured him upon his request of changing the provision.
ACC Commissioner Shahabuddin said the newly amended ACC law was discriminatory and such discrimination does not last long.
Afterwards, ACC officials brought out a procession before the ACC headquarters.