ACC permitted to quiz Bhuiyan, Nizami, Shamsul

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A Dhaka court yesterday gave the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) permission to interrogate detained former LGRD minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, land minister M Shamsul Islam and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami at jail gate in connection with the Barapukuria coalmine corruption case.

Meanwhile, former chairman of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) AK Rashid Uddin Ahmed, an accused of the Gatco graft case, was sent to jail after he surrendered to a Dhaka court and sought bail.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Golam Rabbani passed the order in favour of the ACC after ACC Deputy Director Monirul Haque submitted a petition for showing Bhuiyan, Shamsul and Nizami arrested in the coalmine corruption case and interrogating them at the jail gate.

On May 13, detained former premier Khaleda Zia, former commerce minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, former health minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain were shown arrested in the same case and the ACC was given permission to interrogate them at the gates of their respective jails.

Bhuiyan and Shamsul were sent to jail Sunday after they appeared before the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court, Dhaka in connection with the Gatco corruption case.

Nizami was arrested at his Moghbazar home the same day and sent to jail after being produced before the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate the following day.

On February 26, ACC Assistant Director Shamsul Alam filed the coalmine corruption case against Khaleda Zia and 15 others including 10 former ministers of BNP and Jamaat in connection with illegally awarding Barapukuria coalmine operation contract to a Chinese company.

In the case filed with Shahbagh Police Station, the 16 have been accused of causing a loss of over Tk 158.71 crore to the public exchequer by awarding the contract for production, management and maintenance to the company abusing their power.

The accused former ministers of BNP are M Saifur Rahman, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, M Shamsul Islam, MK Anwar, barrister Aminul Haque, Altaf Hossain Choudhury, and AKM Mosharraf Hossain.

Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid and Nizami are the accused ex-ministers of Jamaat.

The others charged with the offence are former acting secretary to energy and mineral resources Nazrul Islam, former Petrobangla chairman SR Osmani, former Petrobangla director Mainul Ahsan, former managing director of Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Ltd (BCMCL) Sirajul Islam and Hosaf Group Chairman Moazzem Hossain.

Of the former ministers, nine were members of the cabinet purchase committee.

The complainant said the offence took place between June 2, 2003 and June 4, 2005 at the energy and mineral resources department.

RASHID SENT TO JAIL
Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque ordered to send Rashid Uddin to jail rejecting his bail prayer after Rashid along with his lawyers appeared before the court and sought bail in the Gatco corruption case.

The lawyers submitted two petitions–one for Rashid’s bail and the other for providing him with division in jail.

The prosecution opposed the bail petition and said the accused would be provided status in jail as per law.

On May 15, the same court issued arrest warrants against top BNP leaders Saifur Rahman, Mannan Bhuiyan, MK Anwar, Shamsul Islam and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Jamaat Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami and six others in the Gatco corruption case.

The court also directed the jail authorities to produce before it today Khaleda, her son Koko and 14 others who are now in jail.

Of the accused, eight have been absconding since the case was filed.

The ACC pressed charges against Khaleda, Koko and 22 others in the Gatco corruption case on May 13. It filed the case against Khaleda, Koko and 11 others with Tejgaon police on September 2 last year in connection with corruption in awarding Gatco the container-handling job at depots in Dhaka and Chittagong.

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