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Download PDF The cops at police stations concerned in the city remained tight-lipped yesterday about whether the arrest warrants against 12 ‘absconding’ accused in the Gatco corruption case issued by a Dhaka court on Thursday have reached them or not.
Wishing not to be named, a number of police officers, however, told The Daily Star in the evening that they expect to receive the warrants against the 12, including former ministers M Saifur Rahman, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Motiur Rahman Nizami, MK Anwar, M Shamsul Islam and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, sometime at night.
None could say for sure if the police would arrest the accused right away once they get the warrants or the accused would be allowed to surrender before the court during the next hearing of the case due on May 22.
“I expect to receive the warrants sometime tonight (last night), but I’m not sure whether the accused will be held after that,” said officer-in-charge (OC) of a police station at about 8:35pm.
Sources claimed that the warrants have already been dispatched to police stations concerned.
Meanwhile, family members of Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan told the reporters on Friday that he may surrender before the court today if his lawyers suggest.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko have already been detained in connection with the case on September 3 last year, immediately after filing of the case.
The other fugitive accused in the case are former shipping secretary Zulfikar Haider Chowdhury, Gatco directors AKM Musa Kajol, Ehsan Yusuf, Shahjahan M Hasib, former member of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) AK Rashid Uddin Ahmed and former shipping minister and late BNP leader Col (retd) Akbar Hossain’s wife Jahanara Ansar.
The arrestees are former health minister Dr Khondaker Mosharraf Hossain, former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, former chief finance and accounts officer Ahmed Abul Qashem, former CPA chairman Commodore (retd) Zulfiqur Ali, former CPA chairman AMM Shahadat Hossain, former CPA directors AM Sanwar Hossain, Luthful Kabir, Gatco managing director (MD) Syed Galib Ahmed, Gatco director Syed Tanvir Ahmed, and Akbar’s son Ismail Hossain Simon.
On May 13, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) pressed charges against Khaleda and 23 others in the graft case.
Sources said arrest warrants for BNP leaders M Saifur Rahman, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, M Shamsul Islam and Amir Khasru Mahmud and Gatco official Musa Kajol have already been dispatched to Gulshan Police Station as the accused reside in that area.
Saifur, who is also the top leader of the pro-reform faction of BNP, is in Singapore at present for treatment. Amir Khasru has been in hiding since the army led joint forces began its crackdown on corruption suspects.
Arrest warrants for Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami has been sent off to Ramna Police Station and for former agriculture minister MK Anwar to Newmarket Police Station.
Besides, arrest warrants for Gatco official Ehsan Yusuf was dispatched to Khilgaon police, for Jahanara Yusuf to Kafrul Police, for Julfiqur Haider Chowdhury and AK Rashiduddin Ahmed to Dhanmondi police station and warrant for Gatco official Shamsuddin M Hasib was dispatched to Uttara Police Station.
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