Concealing illegal assets: ACC seeks info on dual citizenship of govt employees from three agencies

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has asked three agencies to provide information on dual citizenship or passports held by government employees.

In this regard, the graft watchdog sent letters to the Department of Immigration and Passports, the Special Branch of police, and the Security Services Division, ACC Director General (Prevention) Akhtar Hossain told The Business Standard today (1 January).

In the letters seen by TBS, the ACC stated that it has recently noticed some corrupt government employees obtaining and using passports from other countries while concealing this information.

"They use passports from different countries to avoid punishment or legal action in the ongoing anti-corruption campaign. In this way, these suspects are trying to protect themselves from legal consequences and cover up their misdeeds," reads a letter.

In all such cases, the ACC said the suspected government employees had obtained Bangladesh's and other countries' citizenship simultaneously.

"However, such activities are completely contrary to Section 40 of the Public Service Act, 2018," adds the letter.

Akhtar said during various investigations, the anti-graft agency found that the main purpose of government employees acquiring multiple passports is to conceal their illegal assets, acquired through corruption in Bangladesh, and smuggle them abroad.

"Their activities are contributing to the spread of corruption in the country and damaging the economy," he said. "Moreover, after obtaining citizenship in another country, their disinterest in their moral responsibilities as government employees in Bangladesh is observed, which is undesirable."

The ACC director general said Section 21 of the Penal Code, Section 2 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947, and Section 110 of the Bank Company Act 1991 define all commissioned officers working in the defence department, court employees and judges, paid employees of the public revenue sector, employees at all levels in autonomous, self-governing, semi-government, or state-owned companies, and elected public representatives at various levels as public servants.

In its letters, the ACC asked the heads of the three agencies to review the information maintained by their offices regarding the adoption of dual citizenship by civil servants or their dependents.

It also requested the heads to send the passports and other relevant information of public servants who have acquired dual citizenship at various times.