ACC’s list of investigations is getting longer.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has been taking steps to prevent corruption. The new commission led by Abdul Momen has started operations in various districts of the country, including the capital Dhaka, to catch corrupt people.
Wherever allegations are received, the ACC’s operation team is appearing there. Within 10 days of assuming office, the new commission has started cases and investigations against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her ministers, MPs, bureaucrats, former IGPs and top officials of the law enforcement agencies. Not only that, the ACC chairman has already disclosed his assets.
After the political change of August 5, the commission led by Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah stepped down on October 29. On December 11, the commission led by Dr. Abdul Momen took office. The decision to start the investigation was taken the next day. On the first day, it was decided to ban the five former MPs and their family members from traveling abroad. They are: Former Feni-1 MP Alauddin Ahmed Chowdhury Nasim, former Bhola-3 MP Nur Nabi Chowdhury Shaon, former Habiganj-3 MP Abu Zahir, former Noakhali-1 MP HM Ibrahim and former Laxmipur-2 MP Nur Uddin Chowdhury Nayon. In addition, the ACC decided to impose a ban on foreign travel on former Railway Minister Mujibul Haque; former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam with his wife and children; former MP Bahauddin Bahar and his daughter, former Comilla Mayor Tasnim Bahar Chokhon; former Minister Amir Hossain Amu, his adopted daughter Sumaiya, personal assistant Farrukh Majid Mahmud Kiran and his wife Rafeza Majid and Hotel Regency MD Kabir Reza.
and his wife Rokeya Khatun. After this, the ACC filed six separate cases against former Health Minister Zahid Malek, former State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak and former State Minister for Textiles and Jute Mirza Azam and their family members. In the meantime, on December 15, raids were conducted at the Passport Department in Agargaon in the capital and at Dhaka Metro Circle 2 of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) in Mirpur on various charges including customer harassment. In addition, two separate cases were filed against National Board of Revenue (NBR) Matiur Rahman and his wife Shammi Akhtar Shibli on charges of acquiring illegal assets. They were charged with acquiring illegal assets worth Tk 111.886 crore and concealing information about assets. The ACC filed four separate cases against former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed, his wife and two daughters on charges of acquiring assets outside known sources of income and concealing information about assets. They have been charged with acquiring undeclared assets worth Tk 74 crore 13 lakh 39 thousand and concealing information about their assets. Three separate cases have been filed against former DB chief Mohammad Harun-ur-Rashid and his wife and brother on the same charges.
On December 17, the ACC decided to investigate allegations of embezzlement of Tk 80,000 crore from various projects including the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Sheikh Rehana and her daughter Tulip Siddique. On the same day, the ACC filed two cases against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s personal assistant (peon) Md. Jahangir Alam and his wife Kamrun Nahar on charges of acquiring illegal assets. The ACC has already filed a case against Manikganj-1 former MP AM Naimur Rahman Durjoy on charges of acquiring undeclared assets.
The ACC is conducting operations not only in the capital but also in various districts of the country. On December 18, a raid was conducted at the Barisal Passport Office and two brokers, including a woman, were arrested on charges of demanding extra money from customers and promising to issue passports in a shorter time. On the same day, a raid was conducted at the Gopalganj 250-bed General Hospital based on various complaints and found irregularities in the calculation of government medicines, doctors not coming on time, the hospital’s X-ray machine, CT scan machine, MRI machine were out of order for a long time, food cooked for patients was unhygienic, ticket prices were overcharged, and the ACC team investigated these issues by collecting evidence of certificate trading in exchange for money and also found evidence of corruption. The ACC also raided the Election Building on charges of harassment and corruption in the National Identity Card service and arrested two people.
The ACC filed a case on December 19 accusing 58 people, including son of S Alam Group Chairman Mohammad Saiful Alam and former chairman of Islami Bank Ahsanul Alam, of misappropriating Tk 1,924.6 million siphoned off as loans, among others. A case was filed against former Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder on illegal assets and unusual transactions of money in bank accounts among the charges on the same day. The ACC has initiated an investigation into allegations of embezzlement of Tk 1,907 crore against former IFIC Bank PLC Chairman Salman F Rahman and former MD Shah Alam Sarwar.
The Anti-Corruption Commission launched an investigation against former Road Transport Minister and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and Transport Department Secretary ABM Aminullah Nuri in the investigation of irregularities into the purchase of 137 buses in a BRTA project. The ACC has decided to investigate allegations of embezzlement of government funds through various irregularities and corruption, including seizure of 700 acres of private land, and acquisition of known non-income assets in the names of himself and his family members. The Anti Corruption Commission has launched an investigation into the assets of former Chairman of the National Board of Revenue Nojibur Rahman, accused of amassing crores of taka through bribery, corruption, and transfer trading. In addition, the ACC has also started an investigation against Additional Tax Commissioner Saiful Alam, Joint Tax Commissioner KM Shamsuzzaman, and Assistant Tax Commissioner Md. Aminul Islam.
The ACC has approved a charge sheet against former MP from Lakshmipur-2 constituency Kazi Shahid Islam Papul and his wife former MP Selina Islam, sister-in-law Jasmine Pradhan, and daughter Wafa Islam, accusing them of illegal assets and suspicious transactions. The ACC has traced 16 bank accounts of former Law Minister Anisul Haque. ACC has filled case against former MP of Barguna-2 constituency Shawkat Hachanur Rahman Rimon accusing acquiring asset beyond known income. Anti Corruption Commission or ACC yesterday decided to probe allegations against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy over embezzlement of 300 million US dollar.
ACC Commissioner (Investigation) Mian Muhammad Ali Akbar Azizi said, we will investigate impartially. There will be no bias anywhere. We are committed to the nation.
ACC sources said that in the 11 months of this year (January-November), after scrutinizing various allegations, 439 allegations were taken into consideration for investigation. 227 allegations were terminated (exonerated from allegations) and the accused were acquitted in 48 cases. During this period, charge sheets were issued in 328 and 345 cases. In the meantime, a record number of investigations started in the changed context–i.e. after the fall of the Awami League government–in the months of August, September and October, but the rhythm has suddenly deteriorated with the resignation of two commissioners including the chairman. Although 31,100, and 73 investigations were decided in those three months, the agency could not start any investigation in November.
On the other hand, in the year 2023, after scrutinizing and sorting the complaints, 845 complaints were decided to be investigated. At that time, 404 cases and 363 cases were chargesheeted. At that time, 13,579 complaints were settled by terminating or releasing them from the charges.
TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman told our time that they have started some high-level investigations as per the people’s expectations. If evidence of corruption is found there, they should be brought under punishment; so that they can set an example. Even if they get power in the future, no one should indulge in corruption and misdeeds.
Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, chief of the ACC Reform Commission of the interim government, also said that a short time has passed since the new commission came into office. They need to be given time, it is not the time to evaluate now. The people of the country have many expectations of them, he expressed hope that they will work to fulfill them.
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