ACC gets new Commission after six months

After a six-month vacancy at the top, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has finally got a new three-member commission, with Justice AKM Asaduzzaman appointed as chairman and Dr Jahangir Alam Khan and Dr Md Sazzad Hossain Bhuiyan as Commissioners.

The Cabinet Division issued a notification in this regard on Monday, ending the prolonged absence of a full commission at the anti-graft body.

The appointments were made under Sections 5(1) and 6(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004. Under the law, the president appoints the commissioners from candidates recommended by a search committee and designates one of them as chairman.

The new commission comes around six months after the previous ACC leadership stepped down.

On March 3, 2026, then-chairman Dr Mohammad Abdul Momen and commissioners Mia Muhammad Ali Akbar Azizi and Brigadier General (retd) Hafiz Ahsan Farid submitted their resignations. Their resignations were accepted the same day and the three officials were relieved of their duties from that date.

Justice Asaduzzaman will receive the status, salary, allowances and other benefits equivalent to those of a judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. The two Commissioners will enjoy corresponding benefits and status equivalent to judges of the High Court Division.

Justice Asaduzzaman brings extensive judicial experience to the Commission. He was appointed to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on March 24, 2025, and took oath the following day. He retired from the Appellate Division on February 28, 2026, after reaching the retirement age.

The prolonged vacancy had raised concerns about the ACC’s ability to take key decisions. While routine administrative work and ongoing investigations continued, major decisions, including approval of new inquiries, filing of corruption cases, charge sheets and certain enforcement measures, were constrained in the absence of the Commission. Reports also pointed to a growing backlog of complaints and investigations.

The government eventually initiated the formal appointment process in June. On June 22, it formed a five-member search committee headed by Appellate Division Justice Md Rezaul Haque under Section 7 of the ACC Act, 2004.

The committee was tasked with recommending two candidates for each of the three vacant commissioner posts for consideration by the President. Other members of the committee included Justice Razik-Al-Jalil, Comptroller and Auditor General Nurul Islam, Public Service Commission Chairman Professor Mobasser Monem and Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani.