The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has dismissed allegations of bribery made by National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah, describing the claims as “unverified and defamatory”.

In a statement issued at 9pm on Tuesday, the agency condemned a Facebook post in which Hasnat accused a senior commission director and other officials of soliciting bribes. It said the accusations were baseless and damaged its reputation.

The national anti-graft agency warned that fraudsters impersonating commission officials had been targeting individuals with fake promises of case dismissals in exchange for money. Victims, it added, often resort to blaming the commission publicly on social media platforms.

According to the statement, signed by ACC spokesperson Md Akhtarul Islam, Hasnat made “defamatory remarks against the director general and senior officials without any verification”.

In his post, the NCP leader alleged that “in independent Bangladesh, the ACC’s tea bill is Tk 100,000", claiming that officials demanded this amount from Dr Mahmuda Mitu as a prerequisite for clearing her name, despite no corruption charges being filed against her.

“Mahmuda was told: ‘You’re a doctor, so you have money -- pay Tk 100,000 for clearance’.”

He also shared three recorded phone conversations with the doctor.

The ACC emphasised that “a criminal network has been defrauding people by falsely claiming to be ACC officials, promising case dismissals in exchange for money”.

The commission has taken legal action and arrested many in this ring.

The statement urged the public to report any fraudulent calls or messages through the ACC’s toll-free hotline 106 or to local offices and law-enforcing agencies.

Hasnat claimed in his post: “The minimum bribe rate at ACC is Tk 100,000. When someone refuses to pay, Akhtar calls again, asking if they will pay or not, threatening to report them otherwise.

“Mahmuda Mitu joined the Red Crescent after the 5th of August. The ACC is now investigating corruption from the Awami League era.”

He accused the ACC of shifting blame to current officials for past corruption without naming former ones.

“If they take Tk 100,000 from innocent people, imagine how much they extorted from Awami League officials.”

Hasnat criticised ACC’s actions during now-ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s term, saying the commission harassed opposition leaders like Khaleda Zia but ignored massive Awami League corruption cases.

“We hoped for change after the 5th of August, but instead ACC started demanding Tk 100,000 as tea bills. Mahmuda Mitu bravely recorded a video proving she paid no bribe. How many ordinary people have been forced to pay these tea bills remains unknown,” the post read.

It added, “Our stance is clear. If there is any corruption allegation against me or Mahmuda Mitu, make it public and file cases. Why extort innocent people instead? Why demand tea bills? Why threaten if money is not paid?”

Hasnat said in his post that after “fascism’s” fall, they wanted a new Bangladesh and hoped the ACC would change.

“But it continues the old ways, poisoning bureaucracy. If this isn’t fixed, our dream of a new Bangladesh will fail. We demand justice -- did people really die in July to pay officials’ Tk 100,000 tea bills?”