AL govt used intel agencies to facilitate corruption: TIB's Iftekharuzzaman
Anti-Corruption Commission needs to be restructured, he says
During the rule of the recently ousted Awami League government, corruption became institutionalised, and intelligence agencies were used to facilitate it, said Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), today (31 August).
At a debate programme organised by the Debate for Democracy at FDC in Dhaka, he also criticised the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), noting that it has failed due to weak leadership and political influence. He stressed the need for its restructuring to effectively combat corruption.
Additionally, he called for comprehensive reforms of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the Criminal Investigation Department, the Attorney General's Office, and the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit.
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The debate programme focused on discussing essential measures to prevent corruption.
The TIB Executive Director said the parliament has the potential to be the most effective force in preventing corruption. However, under the previous government, it was reduced to a mere puppet theatre.
He also noted that during the previous government's tenure, law enforcement agencies were complicit in virtually every crime. "Those entrusted with upholding the law became its violators, betraying their duty as guardians of justice," he said.
Iftekharuzzaman further said the allegations of corruption against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members concerning the Rooppur nuclear power plant deal cannot be dismissed. He suggested that the state should seriously consider these accusations and take appropriate action.
He also noted that the money laundered abroad from Bangladesh can be recovered under existing national laws and international conventions.
Chairman of Debate for Democracy, Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran, said massive corruption during the former government is a black mark on Bangladesh's history. He described corruption at all levels as a cancer, adding that the interim government has initiated efforts to eliminate this malignancy.
Kiron also emphasised the need to stop the harassment of those who have been falsely accused by the ACC.
He criticised the Sheikh Hasina government for leaving a foreign debt burden of over $100 billion on the nation.
He noted that the non-performing loans in the country amounted to nearly Tk6 lakh crore.
In the debate programme titled "People's awareness can prevent corruption more effectively than institutional oversight", debaters from the State University of Bangladesh emerged victorious, defeating the Bangladesh University of Business and Technology.
