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Prevent political graft, bring defence purchase under ACC scrutiny

Speakers tell TIB seminar

Staff Correspondent
Preventing political corruption and bringing defence purchase under a nt i ■ corruption scrutiny arc crucial to make significant difference in the anti-corruption drive, speakers at a seminar said yesterday.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) organised the seminar on 'Making the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) effective: Why and how?' at Brae Centre inn in die city to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day 2009.
"It is not possible to bring about meaningful changes to prevent high-level corruption unless the politics-corniption nexus is broken," said AntiCorruption Commission (ACC) Chairman Ghulam Rahman.
In the context of Bangladesh, politics is an expensive activity, he said and stressed the need for public funding for political activities and electioneering to shift political parties' financial dependence from the businessmen in order to free poli-
tics from corruption.
TIB trustee member Prof Muzaffar Ahmad said, "Defence purchase should be brought under the purview of ACC drive, as it is not free from corruption."
Corruption is all pervading in society, he said, adding that isolated anti-graft drives will not yield sustainable results.
He demanded that the ACC be made a constitutional body through an amendment for its independence and effectiveness.
In a presentation, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said the proposed recommendations made by a recently formed cabinet division committee that the government will appoint the ACC secretary as the principal accounting officer will undermine its autonomous status.
Political will for an independent ACC, autonomous status, expansion of jurisdiction and accountability are vital to make the commission effective, he said.
The requirement of prior approval from the government for prosecution against
any high government officials will curb the ACC's freedom, said Iftekharuzzaman.
Ghulam Rahman also said, "I do not want any tampering of the ACC Act 2004." The ACC is accountable to the cabinet division, office of die auditor
general and public accounts committee functionally, administratively and financially.
Prof Asif Nazrul of Dhaka University said (hat ACC badly needs a capable prosecution team of its own. but the gov-
ernment seems reluctant to facilitate it.
Prof Moniruzzaman Miah, a former ACC member, also spoke at the seminar presided over by Chairman ofTIB board of trustees M Hafizuddin Khan.