The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has been conducting hundreds of sting operations each year to combat the culture of bribery running rampant in almost all sectors and government offices of the country
ACC officials told Dhaka Tribune that the first sting operations it ran were quite sloppy, but they are becoming more and more successful with experience.
A sting operation refers to a law enforcement drive where the victim of a crime collaborates with law enforcement agencies to collect information on the accused without raising their suspicions, or even to catch them red-handed. Sting operations against bribery in Bangladesh usually involve the victim continuing to pay bribes so that law enforcement officials can record the transaction before conducting a raid.
Citing an example, ACC sources said the raid at the office of state broadcaster Bangladesh Television (BTV) last month, over allegations that its chief engineer had embezzled more than Tk40 lakh, was conducted after a sting operation.
The ACC began the sting operation after receiving a complaint about the cancellation of a previous work order and the re-invitation of the tender. The commission was able to collect the necessary evidence during the operation, and action will be taken against the accused soon.
ACC officials also said the commission raided the Cox's Bazar regional passport office after a sting operation earlier this year. Two brokers were arrested for bribery, and a mobile court sentenced them to 10 days in prison on the basis of information gained through the operation.
The commission conducts hundreds of sting operations across the country every year, but only a small fraction of the operations end in the filing of cases, they added.
How are sting operations conducted?
According to the ACC, the commission began conducting sting operations in 2007, and the operations were annexed to ACC Rule 16 the same year.
Common targets for the ACC's sting operations include regional passport offices, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) offices, sub-registrar's offices, regional election offices, medical colleges and hospitals, offices of the Capital Development Authority, city corporation offices, Bangladesh Railway offices, educational institutions, Rajuk offices, Union Parishad offices, and agriculture offices, among others.
Officials say sting operations may be prepared or conducted by the authorized officer with the approval of the commissioner of investigation for the purpose of catching red-handed any person or individuals involved in the scheduled offenses of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
According to the rules, an officer not below the rank of commissioner or director of the commission who has this authority must conduct the investigation.
ACC sources said the introduction of the commission's hotline number, 106, had added dynamism to sting operations.
According to the commission's data, it worked on 504 complaints from January to March this year. The ACC conducted 199 raids and sent 144 letters to different offices after reviewing these complaints. It also investigated 13 complaints after conducting sting operations.
Sting operations help gain public trust
ACC Secretary Mahbub Hossain recently said the sting operations were helping to gain the trust of the people and encouraging more victims to file complaints on the hotline.
The commission usually forms a committee to conduct the sting operation after receiving allegations of bribery and conducts a drive to round up corrupt officials after it has evidence, in line with the law, he added.
“The commission has already instructed the corruption prevention committees at the upazila and district levels to take measures to make people aware so that they lodge complaints about any incident of bribery,” the ACC secretary further said.
However, ACC officials also said limitations in relevant laws were hampering and slowing down sting operations.
TIB also expects more stings
According to Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), the ACC's sting operations initially showed good results. In addition to catching corrupt officials, the operations also help discourage others from corruption.
However, the organization expressed concern as the commission was not able to maintain the momentum of the operations due to social distancing restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the Covid restrictions gone, it would be expected that the ACC would resort to [sting operations] more vigorously, covering more ground than before.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said: “Politically motivated legal barriers against the ACC's effectiveness have been worsened by the new Income Tax Act, for which the commission's capacity to investigate the mismatch between wealth and income against legitimate sources has been grossly undermined.
“The sting operation method could be handy for ACC to demonstrate some delivery. It remains to be seen if the Commission has the necessary appetite to do so.”
