‘ACC can probe all money laundering-related crimes’
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) can inquire and investigate all money laundering offences related to siphoning off money, forgery and fraud.
ACC Commissioner (Investigation) Md Zahurul Haque revealed the information in response to a question from journalists at the ACC head office on Tuesday (26 July) quoting the high court.
"According to an order of the High Court on 26 February, the ACC can search and investigate any crime under the Money Laundering Act. Earlier, under the Money Laundering Act, only government officials and employees could be investigated by the agency. From now on, ACC will have the opportunity to search and investigate all such crimes," he told the media.
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The final decision in this regard will be taken by the commission, he added.
The Money Laundering Prevention Act lists 27 offences and ACC could investigate only one of these offences.
"According to Articles 111 and 112 of the Constitution, we have to obey the Supreme Court's order to ACC," said Md Zahirul Haque.
Earlier, on February 17 this year, the ACC wrote to the cabinet division seeking to amend the law to allow it to investigate all types of money laundering crimes at the public and private levels.
Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012 had made the ACC the sole body responsible for the investigation of all offences related to money laundering. Later in 2015, the act was amended to allow the ACC to probe only money laundering crimes related to bribery and corruption out of 27 offences.
