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Anti-graft probe loses its way

Brac study shows half of complaints 'discontinued'

Staff Correspondent
More than half of the corruption complaints are filed for record only, according to a report of the Brae Institute Of Governance and Development (BIGD).
Besides, the rate of enquiries kept pending is very high.
"Among the complaints, not all are selected for further enquiry and investigation. More than half of the complaints are discontinued," states the State of
Governance Report, a BIGD flagship of Brae University publication since 2006.
Although the cases are true, many of them remain unresolved due to lack of evidence. Even after the whole process of enquiry, a few complaints see conviction, as per the report.
Apart from graft cases, it also focuses on democratic governance, public sector governance, economic governance and social (health) governance.
Sultan Hafeez Rahman, executive director of the B1GD, talked about the report at Brae Centre Inn in the capital yesterday. Wahid Abdullah, research fellow of the BIGD, presented findings at the report launching programme there.
Expressing frustration over the AntiCorruption Commission's failure in probing major scams in the banking sector, eminent economist Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud said, “I was surprised to see an ACC official interrogating the man behind Hallmark money swindling at prison gate."
It is an ancient system. Why would the ACC not use more effective methods for conducting investigations?
The ACC couldn't make any progress in investigating the scams that involve swindling of Tk 4,000 -5,000 crore, Wahiduddin said.
He also said it should be found out whether there was any qualitative change in the health sector and the corruptions taking place in it.
Transparency International Bangladesh's Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman observed that the country's development and governance cannot be ensured unless corruptions in different sectors are checked.
"Only the Anti-Corruption Commission cannot fight corruption. The state machineries- Jatiya Sangsad, judiciary and law enforcement agencies must be strengthened and independent to curb corruption.”
The report points out that the last several elections were marred by violence and that voter turnout and participation of candidates were low.
It also sheds light on a huge backlog of cases in labour courts, incapability of the municipalities to pay better service, presence of only one labour inspector against 0.8 million workers whereas a standard ratio is one for 40,000, and Bangladesh's poor tax-GDP ratio.
In labour courts, 30 to 40 percent of the cases filed are resolved each year.
In India, tax revenue accounts for 16.6 percent of its GDP whereas the ratio is only 10.2 percent in Bangladesh, one of the lowest in the region.
The report also mentions the slow pace at which projects of the annual development programme (ADP) are implemented.
“After a slow start in July, the rate of spending slightly increases during the second quarter of the fiscal year and slows down in the next quarter. The spending again records a sharp rise in the last quarter of a year, “ it states.
The overall picture of the implementation of Right to Information Act is bleak too, with a declining trend of people seeking information.
This might happen partly due to lack of awareness among citizens about their rights, complicated process of obtaining information from offices, particularly government agencies, lack of knowledge about government services, transport hassles, delay and fear of rejection.