NEWS UPDATES
September 2008

ACC okays Barapukuria charges against Khaleda, 15 others

Dhaka, Sept 30 - The Anti Corruption Commission has approved charges against former prime minister Khaleda Zia and 15 others in the Barapukuria case, alleging irregularities and corruption in handing over operations of the coalmine to a Chinese company.

"The investigation report of the case was received on September 10. The ACC will submit a chargesheet on the basis of evidence found against the accused," Iqbal had earlier told reporters in a regular briefing on Monday.

Former ministers in the immediate past BNP-led government, Saifur Rahman, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Matiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, are also among those to be charged in the case.

"After final scrutiny of evidence, approval will be accorded for submission of chargesheets," Hanif had said Monday.

The commission filed the case on Feb 26 with Shahbagh police accusing the then government leaders of incurring losses of Tk 158.71 crore to the state due to the agreement with China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC).

ACC charges AL's Zafarullah in 2 cases

Dhaka, Sept 25 – The Anticorruption Commission has pressed charges against Awami League presidium member Kazi Zafarullah in two separate cases involving money laundering and earning illegal wealth.

Zafarullah is accused of money laundering for concealing wealth by keeping Tk 7 crore in deposit accounts with Premier Bank's Banani branch under the name of his sister Sabiha Mahbub and nephew Abdullah Emran Yusuf.
Kashem filed the case with Gulshan police on June 12.

Zafarullah is accused in a separate case of amassing Tk 15.23 crore beyond his known income. The case was filed with Gulshan police on June 8.

Son of AL's Sajeda gets 12 years for graft

Dhaka, Sept 21– A Dhaka court Sunday sentenced Sadab Akbar, son of Awami League presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, to 12 years in jail on charges of accumulating illegal assets and suppressing wealth information.

Judge Abu Hanif of Special Court-8 also fined him Tk 10 lakh or another year behind bars on failure to pay. The court also ordered confiscation of his ill gotten wealth.

Currently on the run, Sadab's sentence will be in force from the day of his arrest or surrender. Of the 12-year sentence, he received 10 years for obtaining illegal wealth and the remaining two years for concealing asset accounts from the ACC.

ACC okays charges against Zia, Abul Khair, Sakku

Dhaka, Sept 18 (bdnews24.com) – Anticorruption Commission Thursday approved charge sheets against former BNP state minister Ziaul Haq Zia, former lawmaker Abul Khair Bhuiyan and Comilla municipality mayor Md Monirul Haque Sakku in three corruption cases.

ACC director general (Administration) Col Hanif Iqbal said at a regular press briefing the charge sheets will be filed against Zia, former Laxmipur thana chief executive Md Abu Taher, Paritosh Baroi and Delwar Hossain on charges of embezzling 320 metric tonnes of government rice.

He said charges would be filed against former MP Abul Khair Bhuiyan on charges of concealing information of wealth worth Tk 28.64 lakh and illegally earning wealth of Tk 2.89 crore.

He also said they had decided to press charges against Comilla municipality mayor Sakku on charges of earning wealth worth Tk 1.22 crore illegally and concealing the information.

ACC has decided to file separate cases against former lawmaker AKM Fazlul Haq Milon and former MP Redwan Ahmed's son Sultan Moyeen Ahmed for earning property illegally and concealing information.

Tk 42 crore embezzled in BTCL offices: ACC

Dhaka, Sept 18 – The Anticorruption Commission has detected embezzlement of about Tk 42 crore in the Chittagong zone of state-run telecoms operator Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL).

An ACC special team in its investigation found that the money in repair and maintenance heads was siphoned off during the fiscal years 2000-2001 to 2007-2008 in 13 divisional offices of the Chittagong zone, ACC director general (Administration) Col Hanif Iqbal said at regular press briefing Thursday.

"During the eight fiscal years Tk 104.15 crore was spent on the repair and maintenance heads in Chittagong telecommunications zone. Of the amount the officials and employees of the offices in collaboration with each other misappropriated Tk 41.90 crore."

"The special team of ACC reviewed the records and took the statements of the officials and employees concerned from September 4 to 11.

"From their statements it has been gathered that though the entry of outsiders in the sensitive switch rooms of different telephone exchange were banned by regulations, but hundreds of coolies and workers from outside were allowed in and the money was withdrawn."

"ACC also found huge property with some officials and employees of Chittagong zone that do not match their income," Iqbal added.

HC stays ACC case against Fazlul Huq

Dhaka, Sept 15 - The High Court Monday suspended proceedings for three months of an ACC case against former caretaker government adviser Justice Fazlul Huq, charged with earning illegal wealth.

The High Court bench of Justice Mirza Hossein Haider and Justice Mamnun Rahman gave the order on a writ petition submitted by Fazlul Huq challenging the validity of the case.

The court also issued a rule nisi on the Anticorruption Commission and the government to show cause within four weeks as to why the filing of the case and its proceedings should not be declared without legal authority.

Advocate Helaluddin Mollah, representing the petitioner, the ACC did not follow due process in filing the case and pressing charges.

He said the law stipulates that three members of the commission must approve the filing of a case and submission of the chargesheet.

"But in this case only one commissioner gave approval. The approval was not legal and the proceedings of the case cannot continue," argued the lawyer.

ACC sues Fazlul Huq's son, son-in-law

Dhaka, Sept 14  - The Anticorruption Commission on Sunday filed three separate graft cases against the son and son-in-law of former caretaker government adviser Fazlul Huq, who himself stands accused of corruption.

The ACC filed two cases against son Dr Afzal Hossain Raj and one against son-in- law Tarifur Rahman Prince.

Sub inspector Maksudur Rahman of Ramna Police Station told bdnews24.com that ACC assistant director Md Ibrahim filed a case against Afzal for earning Tk 1.4 crore through illegal means.

Assistant sub inspector Kamaruzzaman of Dhanmondi Police Station said: "The case involves receiving Tk 10.61 crore in bribes in exchange for suitable postings made by his father."

The case includes money laundering charges for illegal banking transactions involving Tk 9.61 crore.

In the charge sheet submitted in court it was also alleged that, while he was an adviser of the immediate past caretaker government, he kept a large part of his illegal income in bank accounts in the name of his son and son-in-law.

Huq secured three months bail in the case on Sept 4.

Police, meanwhile, arrested three men at the end of August for allegedly receiving Tk 25 lakh in bribes from Fazlul Huq to help him evade the ACC's graft charges against him, creating a public sensation.

ACC appeals against Khaleda bails

Dhaka, Sept 10  – The Anticorruption Commission has petitioned the Supreme Court to cancel the High Court bails of former prime minister Khaleda Zia in the GATCO and Niko graft cases.

Advocate Sufia Khatun filed the two appeals at the Appellate Division around 11am on Wednesday.

The High Court on Tuesday granted Khaleda three months' bail in the two cases, clearing the last legal barriers to her freedom from prison.

After filing the appeals Khatun told bdnews24.com: "I have filed two appeals at the directive of the Anticorruption Commission for a stay on the High Court bail orders."

"The vacation bench of the Appellate Division chamber judge is supposed to be in session on Sept 15. The hearing on the two appeals may be held any day if the judges agree," she said.

The BNP chairperson had earlier secured bail in two other graft cases involving Barapukuria coal mine and Zia Orphanage Trust.

The GATCO case was filed on Sept 2 last year and the Niko case on May 5. Khaleda and some members of her cabinet were accused in the cases.

It has been alleged that the accused persons by misusing power handed the work of operating Chittagong port and Kamalapur Inland Container Depot to Global Agro Trade Company (GATCO), causing the state a loss of close to Tk 1,000 crore.

The Niko case alleges that the agreement with the Canadian company on exploration of oil and gas made the state count about Tk 13,777 crore in losses.

ACC, ministries to sit on institutional graft

Dhaka, Sept 8 – The Anticorruption Commission has announced a schedule to meet officials of key ministries as part of its efforts to curb institutional corruption.

A meeting will be held with land ministry officials in the second week of October and with health ministry officials in the third week, ACC director general (administration) colonel Hanif Iqbal informed reporters during his routine press briefing.

The ACC's meeting with communications ministry official will be held in the second week of November and with local government division in the third week of the month.

"The talks are meant to detect the sources and fields of corruption and to take effective steps to resist. There will be no discussion on any individual," Hanif Iqbal said.

He said, "The government officials know it better how corruption originated and spread in the institutions. They must know about the legal and structural weakness that bred corruption."

The anticorruption drives will not be successful without direct cooperation of the government employees, he added.

ACC presses charges against Fazlul Huq

Dhaka, Sept 2 - The Anticorruption Commission pressed charges against former caretaker adviser Justice Fazlul Huq in a corruption case on Tuesday.

ACC assistant director and investigation officer of the case Mohammad Ibrahim submitted the charge sheet to the Dhaka chief metropolitan magistrate's court.

The charge sheet applied for an arrest warrant against Fazlul Huq, a former law adviser in the immediate past caretaker government led by President Iajuddin Ahmed, and sought permission to seize property.

The ACC has named 38 people as witnesses in the case, filed against Fazlul Huq on March 13 and accusing the former judge of amassing Tk 97.37 lakh through illegal means.

The charge sheet submitted to the court Tuesday alleged the former adviser kept a large portion of his illegal income in a bank accounts belonging his son and son-in-law. His son's friends were also accomplices.

According to an investigation report, the ACC found a total of Tk 14 crore in the bank accounts of Huq's son Afzal Hossain Raj, son-in-law Tariqur Rahman Prince and the Raj's friends. The ACC could not find any legal source for the money.

A Dhaka court sentenced Prince to three years in prison on Aug 21 for not submitting a wealth statement to the Anticorruption Commission. Prince has been on the run since the ACC asked for his wealth statement. The sentence will be effective from the day of his surrender or arrest.

Bails, stay orders harming ACC image: Hasan Mashhud

Dhaka, Sept 1– Anticorruption Commission chairman Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury said Monday that the spate of bail orders for graft suspects and stay orders on corruption cases has hurt the image of the antigraft body.

"It may seem to people that the ACC is not working the way it did before. Nothing should be concluded until the apex court of the country gives verdicts in the cases," Hasan Mashhud told reporters in his office.

"But the High Court works independently. The ACC has nothing to do with that process," he said.

"Some people think the cases have not been properly handled, which is why the corruption suspects are getting bail. But the fact is that all cases were filed and charge sheets submitted in consultation with lawyers," he stressed.

The ACC chief regretted that few cases would see final disposal before the national polls. "Writ petitions were filed against many cases. It will take time to revive the cases by filing counter appeals," he said.

Pointing out that the special courts have so far given verdicts in 80 cases, he emphasised: "There is no flaw with the ACC cases."

He said a public prosecutor was appointed to maintain contact between lawyers and the ACC. In addition to this, a monitoring cell has been formed to keep a check on the progress of the cases.

"A director general oversees the prosecution activities," he added.

He said charge sheets have been submitted in 200 cases so far. Lawyers are being assigned for cases on the basis of the types of cases and the field of interests of the lawyers.

"The ACC does not take any decision giving anybody any special treatment. The commission is if anything more cautious about the high profile cases," he said.

The ACC chief added that the commission also undertook a variety of programmes to combat corruption at the upazila level