Poor performance prompts ACC to reshuffle prosecutors\\\' panel

After evaluating the overall performance of its appointed prosecutors, the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has planned to reshuffle its panel engaging some competent lawyers in a bid to effectively fight its cases in courts.
"We're thinking about it as we've found prima facie cases of inefficiency among the ACC panel prosecutors during the course of trial, resulting in losing the legal battle against the corrupt accused," said ACC chairman M Badiuzzaman in an interview with UNB.
According to official sources, the national anti-graft watchdog now has 264 prosecutors across the country, including the lower judiciary and the higher courts.
"We expect a positive result in the ACC-filed corruption cases from our prosecutors … but we hardly get it, and we think that is for lack of competent lawyers against the high-profile counsel for the graft suspects," Badiuzzaman said.
The ACC chief said the poor investigation is also responsible to some extent for losing cases.
Official statistics show on an average graft suspects were convicted in 47 per cent of cases filed by the ACC. And most of the convicted people got relieved of the charges from the higher courts due to ACC's poor investigations and inactiveness of its panel prosecutors.
Admitting the weakness of investigation into the corruption cases, Mr Badiuzzaman said it is true that the success rate of the ACC cases is 47 per cent on an average. "I don't want to say there's no weakness in carrying out investigations and inquires. We've detected weakness in some cases."