The responsibility for inquiries and investigations into allegations of graft lies with the investigation officers of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), not with the commissioners or its chairman, said ACC secretary Muhammad Dilwar Bakht on Tuesday.
"The investigation or inquiry into graft allegations is carried out by the investigation officers. So, the responsibility for that falls on the respective officials, not on the commissioners or its chairman," he said.
Mr Bakht came up with the remark a day after lawmaker Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh called for the resignation of ACC Chairman Iqbal Mahmood over his failure to discharge his duty.
The ACC secretary was talking to reporters at his office at the ACC headquarters at Segunbagicha in the city.
On Monday, Awami League lawmaker Mr Taposh demanded resignation of the ACC chief for not filing any case against former BASIC Bank chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu over his alleged connection with Tk 45 billion loan scam.
Responding to the demand made by the lawmaker, Mr Bakht said, "Graft cases are being investigated by our investigators. So, the responsibility does not lie with the ACC commissioners or the chairman. Therefore, I don't understand why the question of resignation was raised."
About graft cases involving the BASIC Bank, he said, "The cases you are talking about are complicated. Of Tk 45 billion given out in loans, a large amount of the fund was withdrawn in cash and deposited in unknown places which our officials couldn't track down as yet."
Asked why Bacchu has not been made an accused in BASIC Bank cases, he said, "It is not possible to accuse someone without being sure about where the money has been deposited or how it was used."
"Bachchu will be charged once the evidence is found," he added.
About the delay in investigating the cases, Mr Bakht said, "It would be possible to track down the money if it was transferred to any banks. But as the borrowers used the money on different purposes, finding the trail of the money is being delayed."
In September 2015, the ACC filed 54 cases against 56 people, including officials of BASIC Bank Limited. But it did not include key graft suspect Bacchu in any cases.
According to an investigation by Bangladesh Bank, about Tk 45 billion was swindled from BASIC Bank during a period of six years when Bacchu served as its chairman.
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