Today or tomorrow, smuggled money will come to country

Illegal wealth smugglers are being chased not only in the country but also abroad. Money launderers must be caught in the legal net. Today or tomorrow, the smuggled money will return to the country. It is my firm belief that traffickers will not be able to enjoy this money.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Commissioner said. Mozammel Haque Khan . He has been working here since July 22, 2016. Earlier, he retired as senior secretary in the ministry of public administration. Has served as secretary of half a dozen ministries. He also served in various important ministries as Deputy Commissioner, Director of the Prime Minister's Office, Private Secretary to the President, Deputy Secretary, Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary.

He has been the commissioner of the ACC's investigation department for almost three years. He openly discussed the successes and failures of this period with Business Tribune 

Business Tribune : It has been three years since he took charge as the commissioner of the ACC. How much do you think your plan has been implemented at this time?

Mozammel Haque: As the ACC commissioner, I am fulfilling my legal responsibilities. In fulfilling this responsibility, we have tried to follow the Anti-Corruption Commission Act-2004 and the relevant regulations and the five-year strategy of the ACC. The present commission is implementing multidimensional activities to curb and prevent corruption. Which you are regularly publishing in the media. We have implemented a number of activities such as ACC Complaints Center Hotline, Asset Management Unit, Intelligence Unit, Digital Management, Integrity Store, Institutional Team Report Preparation, Public Hearing. The ACC is now becoming a well-known and acclaimed institution.

Business Tribune: After you took charge, anti-corruption campaign started in various illegal businesses including casinos. Working with a list of about 200 people. However, the number of cases or chargesheets is less. There are allegations, the public works influential people were not sued in that way?

Mozammel Haque: About 23 cases have already been filed in the casino case. Similarly, chargesheets of 10 cases have been filed. Illegal assets involved in these cases have also been seized. Several accused have been arrested. Some have been remanded. All in all, the law has been perfectly enforced. No one has been given a discount, nor will they be given a discount. No innocent person will be forced to be accused, and no criminal will be spared. We are discharging our responsibilities in identifying the culprits. We do not and will not make decisions based on anger or dislike.

Business Tribune: Although the ACC is investigating against the leaders of many big scandals and money laundering cycles, they are just going abroad with loopholes in the law. What is the main reason, the responsibility or who?

Mozammel Haque: Wherever these criminals are in the country or abroad, the ACC will chase them and is doing so. They will be handed over to the law. In some cases, the perpetrators may have fled before the allegations were investigated. However, it is also true that the ACC is trying to bring the accused in the case who have fled abroad to the country for punishment.

Bangladesh is now a signatory to the UN Convention against Corruption. There is an international legal framework to bring these criminals into the legal framework. It does not seem that the criminals will be able to escape even after fleeing abroad.

Business Tribune: How successful do you think you are in fulfilling your responsibilities? How much can you work independently without political influence?

Mozammel Haque: Corruption can be overcome বর্তমান the current commission has succeeded to some extent in breaking this conceptual subculture. I did not feel any political or apolitical influence during my tenure. Legally, no one gets a chance to influence the ACC. We are freely driven by conscience. Anger towards anyone is not in our work process. Anti-corruption is an ongoing process. To sharpen this process, timely strategies have to be formulated and implemented. I expect the Commission to conduct its work more effectively in the future as well. Because, the type and level of corruption is constantly changing, the commission has to be equally tactful.

Business Tribune: How strong do you think the ACC is now? To what extent have you been able to ensure the internal accountability of the ACC?

Mozammel Haque: The ACC is legally strong as an independent and neutral institution. However, the ACC also has to fulfill its responsibilities in a legal process. Due to procedural reasons, a matter of time comes to the fore in the process of investigation of the ACC. Many say the ACC's investigation is a long process. We have tried to complete the investigation of the complaint as soon as possible. The issue of internal accountability of the ACC has been confirmed by the ACC Rules, 2006. According to this rule, the ACC officials are monitored continuously. I believe in the principle of zero tolerance for corruption. I am following the same principle in terms of internal accountability.

Business Tribune: Money laundering is a big topic at present. How much do you think the ACC can contribute to the recovery of money and punishment of criminals?

Mozammel Haque: Money laundering is a global problem. This is not the only problem of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a signatory to the UN Convention against Corruption. He is also a member of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) Egmont Group. In other words, Bangladesh is part of the international legal framework to prevent money laundering. I also hope that Bangladesh will be successful in preventing money laundering.

I am highlighting the activities of the ACC in this regard in the last two years. In 2016, a fine of 139 crore 94 lakh 8 thousand 991 rupees was imposed. 13 crore 34 lakh 46 thousand 252 rupees were confiscated. In 2019, three thousand 498 crore 6 lakh 64 thousand 759 rupees fine and 438 crore 8 lakh 95 thousand 364 rupees were confiscated.

Besides, in 2019, 2,008 percent land, 13 houses, 19 flats, six shops, six cars, 522 crore 93 lakh 12 thousand 324 taka, five thousand 300 US dollars, two lakh 21 thousand 855 shares have been seized. At the same time, two commercial spaces in Dubai, 59 lakh 342 British pounds and 22 lakh 71 thousand 190 ringgit were seized.

The commission is chasing the smugglers not only in the country but also abroad. The ACC is fulfilling its legal responsibility so that no one can enjoy unearned income. Besides, the conviction rate in the cases filed by the ACC was once only 36 per cent, now it has been increased to 6 per cent. The conviction rate in money laundering cases has been raised to 100 percent. Money launderers will be caught in a legal trap. Today or tomorrow, the smuggled money will return to the country. It is my firm belief that traffickers will not be able to enjoy this money.

Business Tribune: New commission formed. Tell us about your expectations and plans.

Mozammel Haque: I am personally an optimistic person. Despair never touched me. My expectation is that we will continue to get better. The plan would not be expedient to say now.

Business Tribune: Many officials from different departments of the government including administration were brought to the ACC to work on deputation. After a few years of searching and investigating, they returned to their offices. Is the ACC damaged as an institution? Shouldn't the ACC focus more on making its own manpower more efficient and strong?

Mozammel Haque: The officers were brought on deputation following the Anti-Corruption Commission (Employees) Employment Rules-2006. Many of them also show their skills in their work. Again, those who cannot prove the desired skills, the commission quickly sends them back to the mother institution. It is an administrative and conventional process. If those who come to the deputation perform their duties with honesty and efficiency, then they too can give a lot to the country. This is nothing new. In order to make the ACC's own manpower more efficient and strong, these officers and employees are being given extensive training at home and abroad. The ACC will not get any officer who has not been trained. It is an ongoing process. Through training and practice, the ACC's own manpower is being turned into a more efficient and capable manpower.

Business Tribune: The ACC is having a forensic lab. How do you think the latest progress and how much the ACC's search work will increase if it is launched?

Mozammel Haque: The automation work of the head office and 22 integrated district offices has started in 2017 to make the activities of the commission easier and more dynamic through the 'Strengthening Anti-Corruption Commission' project. Through this project, human resource management software, inventory software, library database software, secure file management software, database software with information of honesty association, database software related to crime and criminal information will be created. Under this project, plans were made to set up a digital forensic lab. As far as I know, the work of setting up this lab is in the final stage. The ACC will open its own forensic lab in a few days. This will make it easier for the ACC to investigate and collect digital data. Digital evidence can also be collected.

We will continue to strive to take the organization to the highest capacity by following the existing laws and regulations through institutional transparency and accountability.