ACC prepares to file graft cases against 3 ex-state ministers

Trackback URL

Download PDF

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) prepares to lodge graft cases against three former state ministers now in detention.
They are BNP leaders Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin, Amanullah Aman and Awami League (AL) leader Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir.

Mir Nasir’s son barrister Mir Helal Uddin and Aman’s wife Sabera Aman will also face charges of corruption.

“We will file cases against the five tonight (Monday night) or tomorrow (today) with Gulshan Police Station,” ACC Commissioner Habibur Rahman said yesterday afternoon.

The anti-graft body officials said immediate past state minister for civil aviation and tourism Mir Nasir and ex-state minister for labour and employment Aman had amassed huge properties–moveables and immovables–and those do not match their legal incomes.

They did not even make any mention of those assets in their wealth statements submitted to the ACC recently.

The officials said Mir Nasir and his son Helal have accumulated assets worth over Tk 3.22 crore while the properties of Aman and his wife Sabera Aman are valued at over Tk 8.28 crore.

They said former state minister for planning Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir has Tk 1.17 crore in six fixed deposits but he concealed the information in his statement to the ACC.

So far, the ACC has found that the aforementioned assets were not disclosed to it.

In a briefing yesterday, the ACC officials said the charge against Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir is that he did not mention anything about the fixed deposits in his wealth statement.

In addition to the charge of concealing information, Mir Nasir and Aman are going to be sued for acquiring assets through corruption and misuse of power.

In absence of the ACC chairman, the two commissioners–Habibur Rahman and Abul Hasan Manzur Mannan–met yesterday and gave approval for bringing graft proceedings against the five.

They told the newsmen that ACC Deputy Director (DD) Sharmin Ferdous has been assigned to file cases against Mir Nasiruddin and his son, another DD Abdullah Al Zahid against Aman and his wife while Jibon Krishna Roy will file a case against Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir.

Habibur Rahman said the amount of illegal assets of those persons might be more as the investigation is still on.

“We have decided to file cases on the basis of our findings so far,” Habibur said, adding that if more assets are found in the course of investigation those would be included in the charge sheets.

The ACC commissioner said even fresh cases might be filed against them if necessary.

Sources said the commission is preparing also to file separate cases against some of the five for alleged misuse of power.

The three state ministers were among the 50 graft suspects asked by the ACC to submit wealth statements.

Out of the 50, only 35 have submitted statements.

ACC officials said they have found wide discrepancies between the information they have gathered and those furnished in many of the wealth statements.

They said cases will be filed in turn against all of them.

Initially, the anti-corruption authorities had plans to file the cases after its chairman Lt Gen (retired) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury joins the office on his return from a trip abroad.

But they had to change the decision, as the 30-day detention period for many of the graft suspects would be over soon.

Meanwhile, sources said the government will authorise the ACC to initiate process to confiscate properties of 15 graft suspects who did not submit wealth statements during the stipulated 72-hour time. The home ministry will soon take steps to that end.

Leave a Reply