The new ACC Chairman Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury, who had resigned from the last caretaker government citing impediments to carry out his duties, told reporters yesterday, "This time there will be a fight. There will be no resignation this time."

After taking charge yesterday morning, Mashhud and the two commissioners--M Habibur Rahman and Abul Hasan Manzur Mannan--called on President Iajuddin Ahmed and Chief Adviser to the Caretaker Government Fakhruddin Ahmed to apprise them of their plans for the ACC.

Briefing reporters at the ACC yesterday afternoon, Mashhud said, "If everyone provides their efforts together, we will succeed in our fight against corruption, and we will be able to fulfil the expectations of the people."

Mashhud presented his statement of wealth to reporters at the briefing and said, "All ACC staff have been asked to submit their wealth statements by March 15." He also declared his wife's assets and her liability.

Calling for support of all citizens of the country, the ACC chairman hoped to wipe out the disgrace of corruption of the past.

He said whatever the ACC does, it would follow the law and it would not resort to "arm-twisting" in their fight against corruption.

ACC Commissioner Mannan, in reply to a reporter's question whether the ACC can work free from government influence, said, "If the ACC were not established as an institution, then these problems would appear."

"It has often been the case that people have exerted their power by exploiting the loop holes in the laws and procedures," said Mannan, stressing that greater commitment to lawful professionalism should get priority at the ACC.

In this regard, Mashhud said they wanted to put an acceptable system in place and anyone trying to disrupt this system shall be resisted.

He said there are many good things mentioned in the present ACC Act, adding that the act requires changes to increase the commission's efficiency.

ACC Commissioner Habibur said, "No one is above the law," adding that even if a former adviser was accused of corruption, then steps would also be taken against him.

Mashhud said, "If someone takes Tk 5 as bribe on the street and someone takes a Tk 5 lakh bribe in a room, both are corrupt people. Neither of them can be taken lightly."

He said a Tk 5 bribe cannot be taken lightly because to the person the money was taken from, Tk 5 is equal to Tk 5 lakh.

"It would be wrong to think that corruption can be erased within a fixed period of time. A culture has to be developed that corruption is bad," the ACC chairman added.

When reporters asked why former prime minister's son Tarique Rahman was not included in the first list of suspected corrupt people despite being accused of a raft of corruption allegations Mashhud said, "It would be wrong to think that he is not under our consideration...not only him, but anyone who was corrupt. No one should think that they would not be considered."

Mashhud also asked people to bring specific corruption allegations to light and not half-baked accusations with a motive to harass people.

Mannan said many people assisted corruption and the ACC has to trace them back.

Asked how many more people are included in the list of corrupt suspects in addition to the already published list of 50, ACC Secretary Delwar Hossain said, "I do not know if there are more names."

However, Mashhud said, "A list of 50 is not a big deal in a country of 14 crore people, this will reach a thousand."