ACC prosecuted record number of influential criminals: Commissioner

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) does not exclusively deal with petty criminals, but has brought a number of influential offenders to justice, which could set a world record, said ACC Commissioner Jahurul Haque.

"It is not right to say that we always deal with trivial cases. You might not know or we do not disclose information about all the cases solved by the ACC. It will set a world record if we count the number of major cases solved by the commission so far," he told the media on Monday at a discussion marking ACC's 18th founding anniversary in the capital.

He noted that the commission filed eight cases in 2019, of which, charge sheets of four cases were submitted.

Besides, in 2020, the commission filed 13 cases with one charge sheet registered that year. 

"Of the cases for which charge sheets were filed, I think, 80% of the verdicts came in favour of the commission," the commissioner added.

About the money laundering cases, Jahurul Haque said, "There's usually a delay in getting information about money laundering due to legal proceedings. Countries advocating transparency often do not cooperate with us by providing information."

Jahurul Haque claimed that foreign officials tend to avoid providing information on money laundering cases, which delays the process of case disposal on time.

The ACC commissioner also said that it is not possible to employ permanent lawyers due to legal complications despite the commission's intention. Also, senior lawyers with long experience act for the accused. 

"As a result, despite having enough information and evidence against the accused, our lawyers lag behind in arguments," he said.

Responding to a question from journalists, ACC Chairman Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah said that seven organisations work on money laundering. 

"We work on one-seventh of these offences. Still, we are working to prevent money laundering", he said, adding: The process of bringing back the laundered money is also long and there are different mediums to go.

ACC Commissioner (Research) Mozammel Haque Khan said that ACC can investigate only one of the 27 types of money laundering offences. But ACC has to take all the responsibility for money laundering which is very painful.