Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of the Bangladesh chapter of Transparency International, yesterday urged ACC Commissioner Md Shahabuddin to disclose the Berlin-based organisation’s malpractices, if any, immediately.
“We will cooperate,” Iftekharuzzaman told reporters at a press conference at a city hotel. “We have no mask; we have one identity: TIB.”
The Anti-Corruption Commission official on Wednesday threatened to “expose” the TIB’s financial transactions and questioned the accuracy of its recent report on corruption in the ACC.
Iftekharuzzaman said he was “embarrassed” by the words and the body language of ACC Commissioner Shahabuddin. “He has also embarrassed himself by those words and body language.”
He said a person holding a post in an important institute like the ACC should not use language that would sound “politically motivated.”
The TIB press conference was organised to disseminate its study report on the progress of implementation of National Integrity Strategy of Bangladesh.
The ACC commissioner had questioned TIB’s spending of foreign funds meant for research and said they would look into the matter.
“Why at an opportune moment? Expose us today. We will help you in the investigation,” he said, referring that the ACC would curtail its freedom of speech if the warning was issued only to criticise the TIB.
Iftekharuzzaman said his organisation rated the ACC as its “child” in establishing the Anti-Corruption Commission. It is us who demanded creating the commission. We prepared the draft of the law that instituted the Anti-Corruption Commission. We want it to be effective,” he said.
Iftekharuzzaman said people knew that the TIB was foreign-funded but “we do not accept a single farthing or spend without the approval of the government; even though there is no scope of it. We maintain accountability to the government.”