Government delay hits Anti-Corruption Bureau's anti-graft drive

HYDERABAD: The state government's delay in sanctioning prosecution of public servants nailed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and hostile witnesses have allowed the conviction rate in graft cases to slide down below the 50% mark for the first time in recent years. This even after the vigilance commissioner concurred with most of the irrefutable evidence presented by the ACB.
General administration department sources said public servants in at least 800 cases since 2005 have succeeded in either pulling the strings to slow down the probe process or have ensured that a departmental inquiry is instituted against them, since they can buy time. Though the trial court conviction rate was as high as 66%, tainted public servants somehow, succeeded to get a reprieve by approaching the HC, the sources added.
The conviction rates were 48.94% in 2011, 64% in 2010, 61% in 2009, 69% in 2008, 52% in 2007, 56% in 2006 and 50% in 2005. Even the dwindling number of dismissal of public servants from service strengthens this argument as it is down to 42 in 2011 against 71 in 2010 and 73 in 2009.
The ACB, which has been busy probing several disproportionate assets cases of criminal misconduct and misappropriation over the past few years, has sent its final reports to the government in 377 cases/inquiries in 2011 seeking permission for prosecution, while the numbers were 385 in 2010 and 417 in 2009.
A cursory glance at statistics over the past three years indicates that convictions were secured only in 93 cases of the 200 cases disposed off by the special courts. The number was 94 in 2009 (159 cases disposed off) and 89 in 2010 (151 cases disposed off).
Refusing to acknowledge a generalized statistical overview of the functioning of the ACB, official sources said each case needed to be viewed separately based on the resources and time involved. Despite being understaffed, the department has been stretching itself to meet the ever increasing obligations, like the liquor syndicate probe that has kept more than one-third of its staff occupied. The ACB's sanctioned executive and ministerial strength of 692 is barely enough to keep a tab on 13 lakh government employees, including corporations, covering about 313 departments across the state. They have to conduct regular inquiries, discreet inquiries, surprise checks, lay traps and register cases of disproportionate assets and then file relevant paper work, the sources added.
The sources said increased focus on corruption particularly in welfare and other service delivery departments, in addition to revenue earning departments, has begun yielding results, apart from the existing sustained public awareness programmes for easy access to the public for registering complaints on corruption.