ACC set to be digitised

The Anti-Corruption Commission plans to start work on its automation project next January, aiming to bring transparency and accountability in its works.

"The Asian Development Bank has already decided to provide financial support to the commission. The bank's official procedure to provide the fund will be complete by this year and we will hopefully be able to start the automation work in January," ACC Commissioner Dr Nasiruddin Ahmed told the agency yesterday.

He said the ADB has assured the commission of providing half a million US dollars as grant to implement the ACC's automation project.

"But we have requested the ADB to provide more money and its officials assured us that they will put forward the proposal," the ACC commissioner said, adding that the automation work will be completed within two years.

On October 21, 2014, the commission decided to introduce automation system so that its capacity could be strengthened by establishing a "digitised system" which would be paperless. Presently, the ACC conducts probes into graft allegations manually but with automation, the commission's officials can work without using paper.

Dr Nasiruddin said automation is very important for the ACC as it is quite impossible to ensure transparency and accountability in the anti-graft body without introducing automation. He said the ACC conducts probes within a timeframe and once the automation is introduced, it will be easier to know about the status of inquiries and investigations the commission carries out.