The rate of conviction in graft cases lodged by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) dropped in 2018 after a steady rise in the previous three years.
The punishment rate was 60.64 per cent last year, down from 67.93 per cent in 2017. It was 54.20 per cent in 2016 and 37 per cent 2015, according to ACC sources.
The commission's success in bringing more corrupt persons to justice in the previous three years, compared to earlier years, is a positive sign, although the conviction rate dropped last year, ACC officials said.
They also said that despite an improvement in the prosecution process, the anti-graft watchdog still faces some hurdles such as lack of skilled investigators, shortage of manpower, weak inquiry reports and delay in submission of charge sheets.
Meanwhile, anti-graft campaigners said though the conviction rate remained high, the ACC is busy dealing with small- and medium-level corruption, leaving out big fishes.
In 2018, a total of 249 cases were disposed of in the special judge's court and 288 people were convicted in 151 cases. The ACC also realised Tk 1.53 billion from the convicts in fines and through confiscation of assets.
In 2017, persons accused of corruption were convicted in 161 cases, out of 237, while 116 cases, out of 214, saw convictions in 2016.
Accused in 98 cases were acquitted in 2018 and in 76 cases in 2017. The figures of such cases were 98 in 2016 and 119 in 2015.
The number of graft cases under trial in different courts stood at 2,832 last year, 338 of which were filed under the now-defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAC).
An ACC high official, wishing not to be named, told the FE, "The ACC investigators have to deal with several cases at a time, which causes delay in the probe process."
Besides, many inquiry officers are transferred halfway through their investigations, which is another reason for the prolongation, he said.
Due to the investigators' engagement in multiple cases at a time, they sometimes fail to collect strong evidence against the accused, he added.
ACC lawyer Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan admitted the lengthy trial process. "But I am still satisfied with the existing conviction rate -- a success achieved with limited resources," he added.
Stressing the need for appointing more skilled and experienced prosecutors to handle ACC cases, he said there are many young energetic barristers in the country who should be given a chance to deal with the graft cases.
The ACC now has only five to six prosecutors, he said.
Talking to the FE, Badiul Alam Majumder, secretary of the Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan), a civil society platform, said corruption has plagued every corner of society, but the question is how ACC can tackle such a massive menace with its limited resources and workforce.
So, the commission should be more strategic in their action and hunt for big shots involved in corruption, he said.
The anti-graft watchdog should mobilise all its resources to bring influential corrupt persons to book in order to make its campaign against corruption more effective, Mr Majumder added.
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