It is a matter of grave disappointment that a key statutory body like the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has been left in a state of paralysis for nearly two months. After all members of the last commission resigned “voluntarily” on March 3, merely two weeks after the newly elected BNP government took office, the ACC’s crucial operations—pursuing cases, investigations, and enforcement actions—have come under significant constraint. Appointed by the interim government in December 2024 for a five-year term, that commission lasted for just over 15 months.
During this short period, however, it set a new bar for pursuing corruption cases, managing to investigate around 18 percent of the complaints it received in 2025—an institutional record since its inception in 2004. The conviction rate in disposed cases rose to 52 percent, up from the previous year’s 48 percent. But due to the present leadership vacuum, all this progress now faces the risk of stalling. Decisions regarding case filings and other procedures are reportedly being delayed, effectively compromising graft prevention.
It may be recalled that a month after the last commission resigned—a decision made in “public interest,” according to the then ACC chief—the Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 issued during the interim period was allowed to expire on April 11, along with several other key ordinances. As a result, the previous 2004 ACC Act was reinstated with immediate effect, leaving the government the scope to form a search committee to find suitable candidates for the new commission. Nearly three weeks on, we have not seen any such steps from the government. Preliminary discussions on forming the search committee reportedly began shortly after the commission’s dissolution, but the final nod to officially start the process has yet to come.
This raises questions regarding the BNP government’s “zero tolerance” stance on corruption. Eradicating corruption was one of the core pledges of its election manifesto. Naturally, reconstituting the ACC, the country’s primary body responsible for keeping high-profile, large-scale corruption in check, is a crucial first step towards achieving that goal. What’s holding the government back from doing so, then? We don’t see any justification for further delaying this crucial task. The government must promptly form a search committee to recruit the next commissioners so that ACC’s work can continue without a hitch. The government must also ensure that it can carry out its duties as intended: independently, without undue influence. A change in government, political or otherwise, should not have any bearing on autonomous bodies like the ACC.
