In the wake of the July uprising that toppled the Sheikh Hasina government, Bangladesh has begun restructuring its democratic institutions, with the ACC reform commission mapping a new fight against corruption.
The interim government formed the "Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission" on October 3, 2024, through a gazette notification (SRO No 332-Law/2024) to prepare reform proposals necessary to remake the ACC into a truly independent, impartial and efficient institution.
The commission is led by Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB, and includes members from key state and academic institutions.
The commission’s original deadline for submitting its report was extended and the final deadline was pushed to January 15, 2025.
Seven-Chapter reform blueprint
The commission reviewed global practices, laws, and policies to identify key reform areas, and stakeholder input shaped the final seven-chapter report.
Chapter One outlines the commission’s formation, scope and methodology.
Chapter Two underscores that defeating corruption requires a “whole of state and society” approach, not reliance on the ACC alone.
Chapter Three highlights structural and legal gaps that compromise the ACC's independence and recommends measures to restore autonomy and effectiveness.
Chapter Four offers a detailed set of reforms to improve procedures for managing complaints, inquiries, investigations and prosecutions.
Chapters Five and Six address financial and institutional management, internal accountability and corruption prevention, with Chapter Seven presenting a time-bound roadmap for implementation.
Proposed reforms to constitution and legal framework
The commission recommends amending Article 20(2) of the Constitution to embed anti-corruption principles and human dignity.
It proposes adopting a National Anti-Corruption Strategy, replacing the 2010 Integrity Strategy, with an empowered Ombudsman under Article 77 to oversee implementation.
Other state-level legal reforms include ending practices that legitimize illicit income, enacting a conflict of interest law, establishing a beneficial ownership register and ensuring transparent political financing.
The Election Commission would verify candidates’ wealth data and publish asset declarations.
The commission also calls for full automation of services like police stations, registry offices and passport services, criminalizing private sector bribery and aligning with global transparency tools like the Tax Convention and Open Government Partnership.
Status of institutions and governance mechanisms
The commission urges granting constitutional status to the ACC and increasing the number of commissioners from three to five, including one woman.
The qualifications for commissioners should include 15 years of experience in relevant sectors.
The tenure of commissioners should be reduced from five years to four.
It proposes renaming the current “Selection Committee” to “Selection and Review Committee” with an expanded mandate to assess ACC performance biannually.
The new seven-member committee would include senior judges, constitutional officers and a civil society expert nominated by the chief justice.
Appointments to commissioner posts should be transparent with public ads, interviews and candidate disclosures.
Biannual ACC reports will be reviewed in public hearings with civil society and media.
Strengthening investigation and prosecution systems
To reduce delays, the commission recommends that complaints handled by district or divisional JABACs (Joint Anti-Corruption Branches or Cells) not be re-scrutinized centrally.
ACC must be legally bound to inform complainants of outcomes in writing.
JABACs should rotate members regularly, limit deputation and be reconstituted at least twice monthly.
It calls for scrapping mandatory pre-investigation inquiries, sending cases with written info directly to investigation and handling others covertly.
A Prosecution Policy should define which offenses the ACC will investigate, while others go to police. The ACC Act’s Section 32A, which requires government approval to charge public officials, must be repealed.
Special Judge Courts should be established in all districts with ACC offices.
The feasibility of introducing plea bargaining in corruption and money laundering cases should be thoroughly assessed.
MoUs with NBR, CID, BFIU and others are recommended to ensure inter-agency cooperation.
Task forces led by ACC should be formed for grand corruption cases.
Section 309 of the Income Tax Act, 2023, should be amended to ensure ACC access to tax documents without a court order.
Restructuring internal operations and staffing
The commission recommends raising the number of directors general from 8 to 12, each leading key divisions like Finance, IT, Money Laundering and Internal Discipline.
Vacant positions must be filled immediately and a new human resource structure should be enforced.
District ACC offices should be established nationwide.
The Secretary of the ACC should be recruited through open competition, allowing government officials to apply on a contractual basis.
Appointments to director and director general posts must also follow an open process.
Internal candidates will be prioritized for 60–75% of posts, while up to 10% may come from deputation, excluding judiciary and law enforcement postings.
The long-delayed Permanent Prosecution Unit must be established, starting with partial implementation and gradual replacement of contractual lawyers.
Automation of all ACC operations including investigations and case management must be prioritized.
The Digital Forensic Lab should report directly to the Chairman and be strengthened.
A dedicated Training Academy for ACC staff is proposed and Section 54(2), allowing dismissal without cause, must be repealed for job security.
Autonomous budget and risk allowances
The ACC should have its own fund from its budget and 10% of confiscated fines.
Pay scales must double the national level, with risk allowances and performance bonuses from this fund.
A Task Force should identify corrupt ACC officials for dismissal and prosecution.
The Internal Anti-Corruption Committee should be replaced by an Internal Discipline Division with ACC staff and intelligence and defense officials.
This division would ensure code-of-conduct compliance, conduct internal investigations, scrutinize asset declarations and take disciplinary action where necessary.
Corruption prevention and civic engagement
A comprehensive Corruption Prevention Strategy must be adopted, incorporating ethics education from primary to higher secondary levels and anti-corruption content in textbooks.
Anti-corruption courses and fellowships should be introduced in higher education.
The ACC’s hotline (106) must be widely promoted, and targeted awareness campaigns launched via social media.
Laws such as the Right to Information Act and the Public Interest Disclosure Act should be more rigorously enforced through training and outreach.
The ACC should promote faith-based values, youth programs, NGO partnerships, lead International Anti-Corruption Day and engage marginalized communities.
Implementation timeline
The report concludes with a detailed roadmap for implementing the reforms over short-term (6 months), medium-term (18 months) and long-term (48 months) phases.
This reform agenda positions the Anti-Corruption Commission as a central institution in Bangladesh’s transition to a transparent, just and democratic society.