Applications for ACC chief, commissioners invited

The government on Thursday invited applications from eligible candidates interested in serving as the chairman and commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), thus formally launching the process to appoint a new leadership for the country's anti-graft watchdog.
According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, the search committee - constituted under Section 7 of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2004 - has invited curriculum vitae (CV) from interested candidates. Applicants have been asked to submit signed CV within 4:00 pm on July 13.
The move comes nearly four months after the posts of the ACC chairman and two commissioners fell vacant following the simultaneous resignation of the commission's top leadership on March 3, leaving the constitutional body without its full leadership and slowing many of its anti-corruption activities.
The government officials said the new appointments are intended to strengthen the commission's independence, impartiality and effectiveness.
The search committee will scrutinise the applications and recommend suitable candidates to the President for appointment as the ACC chairman and commissioners in accordance with the provisions of the law.
The notification said the applicants must possess the qualifications and experience, stipulated under Section 8(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2004. It also noted that individuals, disqualified under Section 8(2) of the Act, would not be eligible for appointment as commissioners.
The Cabinet Division said the individuals, who have already submitted their applications or CVs along with the required documents, would not need to apply again.
The notification, signed by joint secretary Tanvir Ahmed on behalf of the search committee, did not specify the number of appointments to be made.
Earlier, the government formed a five-member search committee on June 22 to recommend suitable candidates for appointment as the ACC chairman and commissioners.
According to a Cabinet Division notification, the committee is headed by Appellate Division Justice Md Rezaul Haque. Other members are Justice Razik Al Jalil, the comptroller and auditor general of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman, and the cabinet secretary.
The committee has been tasked with recommending two candidates for each of the three vacant positions, from which the President will make the final appointments. The Cabinet Division will provide secretarial support to the committee.

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