Staff Correspondent

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has frequently faced accusations of being misused as a tool to target political opponents of the government. Recent disclosures indicate that rather than preventing money laundering, some former ACC chairmen, commissioners, and officials might have actively participated in enabling such activities. Experts are calling for thorough investigations into these allegations and the implementation of travel restrictions on the accused individuals.

Over the years, multiple cases were filed by the ACC against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and many other party leaders. In these cases, Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, and his wife Zubaida Rahman were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment. From the outset, the BNP has claimed these cases were politically motivated.

Reports suggest that former government officials and ACC chairmen and commissioners colluded to implicate Khaleda Zia and other opposition leaders in ACC cases. Additionally, this network allegedly extorted millions from businesspeople through blackmail. Several ACC officials and an influential lawyer were reportedly part of this scheme.

For the first time in the country's history, the ACC has launched an investigation into corruption by one of its own former commissioners. Former commissioner Jahurul Haque is accused of amassing hundreds of crores in illegal wealth through bribery and corruption, much of which was reportedly laundered to Australia, where his daughter resides.

Another commissioner, Asiya Begum, is accused of aiding her husband in acquiring vast illicit wealth. During her tenure, she allegedly shielded individuals involved in exam paper leaks, such as PSC driver Abed Ali, from investigation in exchange for substantial bribes. ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan and Supreme Court lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan reportedly facilitated such corrupt activities.

Jahurul Haque, who previously served as chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), faced allegations of corruption involving frequency allocations to private TV channels and unethical benefits extended to mobile companies. After resigning as ACC commissioner on October 29, he was found to have manipulated his position to acquire a 10-katha (16,000 sq. ft.) plot instead of the 5-katha plot initially allocated to him and his wife.

In a breach of the law prohibiting separate plot allocations for a couple, Jahurul and his wife retained both their plots. Using his influence as ACC commissioner, Jahurul secured the additional land for personal gain. Furthermore, he unlawfully allocated an extra government vehicle, complete with a driver, for his family, despite ACC's vehicle shortages.

These revelations have sparked outrage within the ACC, as senior officials often share vehicles due to a severe shortage. The misuse of power by former commissioners and their associates highlights the urgent need for accountability and reform within the institution.