TIB wants to see effective ACC

Transparency International Bangladesh wants the Anti-Corruption Commission to be effective and credible and to refrain from doing anything that may prove it is politically motivated, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said yesterday.
His remarks came a day after ACC Commissioner Md Shahabuddin expressed doubts about the transparency of the Bangladesh chapter of the Berlin-based international corruption watchdog Transparency International.  
"The ACC can start an investigation [into the activities of TIB] today. Why take time? They can even file cases,” Iftekharuzzaman said at a press conference organised at a city hotel to release a study.
"But I would like to request them [ACC] to think twice if they do it with an intention to harass us [TIB].
Referring to a TI report, he added, “We have expressed our opinion. And none has the right to violate our fundamental rights.”  
Addressing a function organised at Shilpakala Academy in the capital on Wednesday, Shahabuddin said, "They [TIB] work with foreign funds. How much of it do they spend on research?"
Responding to that, Iftekharuzzaman yesterday said that if the ACC was so critical about TIB's using foreign funds, why did it not ask the government to stop using foreign funds to implement any project?
TIB does not spend money without the government's approval and all the accounting is clearly mentioned on its website, he said.