The Anti-Corruption Commission has rejected the Transparency International (TI) report that says Bangladesh comes 14th among the most corrupt countries around the world.
Bangladesh was ranked 16th last year in the global graft index.
Rejecting the corruption report, ACC Commissioner M Sahabuddin Chuppu yesterday told reporters: “The statistics shown in the report is different from the real picture.”
He, however, said: “We are yet to receive the full report.”
Terming the TI’s remarks on the release of leaders of ruling parties and powerful people from corruption cases by the ACC baseless, the commissioner said: “The ACC is now much more active than ever before.”
The commission believes that corruption is now on the wane. It takes action based on proof and data. After finding enough proof and data the commission is now taking legal action against Hall-Mark and Destiny Group, he said.
“Even we are not hesitant to take action against ruling party leaders or powerful people,” Chuppu said.
From the statistics available in the commission it found that from January to August 2014 the ACC freed 1,598 people from corruption cases.
Among the 904 allegations of corruption the ACC only filed cases for 34 allegations in that period.
From 2011 to August 2014, the anti-graft body released 5,339 people accused in corruption cases.
This year the ACC released former communication minister Syed Abul Hossain and former state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hasan along with eight others from Padma bridge graft case which is still under trial in a Canadian court.
The commission also acquitted former health minister AFM Ruhul Haq and lawmaker Aslamul Haq.
They were charged for providing incorrect information on their wealth in their declaration submitted to the Election Commission.
The others who were let go are Deputy Leader in parliament Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim and former adviser to prime minister Syed Modasser Ali.
Interestingly, the ACC also acquitted Executive Engineer of Roads and Highways Division Monjur Ahmed Bhuiyan and Traffic Inspector of Chittagong Metropolitan Police Abdur Rab even after they confessed to having committed corruption.
Earlier, in 2012 the ACC did not carry out an investigation into the allegations of much-talked-about railway scam against Awami League advisory council member Suranjit Sengupta.
The ACC also acquitted his son Soumen Sengupta in a case filed for transacting bribes for getting permission for an interconnection exchange licence from the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission.
The commission has not shown any progress in the investigation into the allegation of crests coated with gold alloy given to foreign friends to honour them in June this year.
Yesterday the TI published a corruption perception index report 2014 where Bangladesh ranked 14th in the graft index among 174 countries. The corruption index also placed Bangladesh in the second position in South Asia.
Afghanistan topped the list as the most corrupt country in the region.
