Bangladesh News

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday filed cases against former BNP lawmaker Barkat Ullah Bulu and Comilla municipality Chairman Monirul Haque Saku for amassing assets illegally and concealing wealth information from it.

ACC Assistant Director Manjur Alam filed the case against Bulu, also former adviser to commerce ministry, his wife Shamima Akhter and son Omar Sharif Mohammad Imran with the Ramna Police Station.

He accused them of accumulating wealth worth Tk 4.89 crore beyond their known sources of income and keeping back from the ACC information about wealth worth Tk 3.37 crore.

The charges were brought under sections 26 (2) and 27 (1) of the ACC Act, sections 109 of the penal code and 15 (d) (5) of the emergency power rules. Shamima and Imran were accused of aiding and abetting the former BNP lawmaker.

Bulu, also president of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, turned in his wealth statement on July 30, showing that he, together with his wife

and son, owns wealth worth Tk 3 crore. Of the amount, he owns Tk 1.2 crore, his wife Tk 1.23 crore and son Tk 49.41 lakh.

The case against Comilla municipality Chairman Monirul Haque Saku and his wife Afroza Jesmin was filed with the same police station.

The two were charged with amassing Tk 4.24 crore beyond known sources of income and withholding from the ACC information about assets worth Tk 1.28 crore.

Earlier on Sunday night, two other cases were filed against the two in Comilla.

ACC ENQUIRY
Meanwhile, the ACC has begun preliminary enquiry into the allegations against 12 of the 35 graft suspects on the fourth list of ACC.

Twelve of its officials were tasked with carrying out the probe on January 2. After investigation, the suspects will be served notices asking them to submit wealth accounts.

The 12 are former managing director of Essential Drugs Company Ltd Harun-Al Rashid, former BNP lawmakers Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bakul, Fazlul Haque Milon, Abul Khayer Bhuiyan, Dewan Salauddin and Elias Ali, Proshika Chairman Kazi Faruque, former Jatiya Party lawmaker Mashiur Rahman Ranga, former managing director of Teletalk Md Obaidullah, former BNP state minister AKM Mosharraf Hossain, deputy secretary Abdul Matin and former adviser to the prime minister (Khaleda Zia) Prof Jahanara Begum.

The fourth list containing among others names of 17 former lawmakers and five bureaucrats was published on October 4.

Earlier, 11 of those on the list including Dhaka City Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka were investigated for alleged corruption and asked to turn in wealth statement.

According to the watchdog’s rules, on receipt of the notice a graft suspect will have seven working days to submit their wealth accounts. Anyone can apply for extra seven days, if they feel the need to do so.

The commission will go for legal actions or file a case against a suspect if they do not submit the wealth statement within the stipulated time.

Speaking at a routine press briefing at the ACC headquarters yesterday, ACC Director General (Admin) Col Hanif Iqbal said the anti-graft body would hold meetings with its district and upazila committees to discuss how to resist corruption menace.

Comprised of citizens, the main task of the committees will be assisting the commission in developing social awareness against graft.