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Download PDF Denying any wrongdoing in awarding the coalmine deal, detained former prime minister Khaleda Zia yesterday told the investigator of the Barapukuria graft case that she had just acted as per law, procedures and the decision of the purchase committee.
“I acted following law, procedures and the decision of the purchase committee. I did it and anybody else would have done the same. People in my place would do the same in future,” she was quoted by her lawyer Shimul Biswas as telling the investigating officer of the graft case filed against her.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Monirul Haque, the investigation officer of the case, went to the sub-jail to question the immediate-past prime minister in connection with the case.
Khaleda’s two lawyers–Barrister Mahbubuddin Khokon and Shimul Biswas–were present during the questioning from 4:00pm to 5:15pm,
The case has been filed “illegally to harass me”, Khaleda was quoted as saying.
Asked if there was any discussion about politics, Shimul said there was no scope for having any political discussion due to the presence of government officials.
On February 26, ACC Assistant Director Shamsul Alam filed the case with Shahbagh Police Station against Khaleda, 10 former ministers of her cabinet and five others on charge of causing a loss of about Tk 159 crore to the exchequer through awarding Barapukuria coalmine deal to the highest bidder instead of the lowest.
Former finance minister Saifur Rahman, ex-BNP secretary general and LGRD minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Jamaat chief and ex-industries minister Motiur Rahman Nizami and its secretary general and ex-social welfare minister Ali Ahsan M Mojahid are the heavyweights among the ministers of the immediate-past coalition government accused in the case.
The other former ministers accused in the case are health minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, agriculture minister MK Anwar, information minister Shamsul Islam, commerce minister Air Vice-Marshall (retd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, telecommunications minister Aminul Haque and state minister for energy AKM Mosharaff Hossain.
The remaining accused are former energy secretary Nazrul Islam, former Petrobangla chairman and incumbent BSCIC chairman SR Osmani, former Petrobangla director Moinul Ahsan, former managing director of Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Sirajul Islam and Hossaf Group Chairman Moazzem Hossain.
On May 14, upon an application of the investigation officer, the additional chief metropolitan magistrate passed an order for questioning the former prime minister at the makeshift jail. The magistrate also allowed the commission to interrogate three more former ministers at jail in connection with the case.
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