ACC chief acknowledges institutional incapacity

The chief of the national anti-graft watchdog said on Wednesday they cannot ensure punishment in all cases for an apparent institutional incapacity.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) chairman Iqbal Mahmood said, "The commission lacks institutional capacity to some extent."

"The quality of our investigations is not up to the mark. It lags behind the expected level," he added.

"Maybe due to the reason, the ACC can't ensure punishment in cent per cent cases," Mr Mahmood said.

The ACC chief said at a meeting on the day with a delegation from the US State Department.

Robert Lochary, technical director (strengthening of law programme) of the department, led the three-member team.

Mr Mahmood said the level of punishment for convicts may differ from country to country, but convicts get punished where there is rule of law.

He further said that there is no alternative to punishment of criminals in the final judgment.

Mr Mahmood acknowledged cooperation from different US agencies, including Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in strengthening the ACC's capacity building.

He said initiatives are underway to make the ACC more dynamic to ensure best practices.

Training for ACC officials can also be organised in Bangladesh instead of the USA for resource constraints and reducing misuses, he added.

The US team also held a meeting with ACC commissioner AFM Aminul Islam to discuss bilateral issues.

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