The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has accused the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs of being non-cooperative in providing information regarding its nine officials and staff charged with freedom fighter certificate forgery.
The anti-graft body is currently running an inquiry against the ministry employees, and it sent another notice to the ministry on Sunday asking for information in this regard.
The officials charged with the forgery are Director General (legal and prosecution) Kamrul Hasan Mollah, Directors Golam Yahiya and Abdul Aziz Bhuiyan, Deputy Directors Dhali Abdus Samad and SM Golam Mawla Siddique, former deputy director Ranjan Kumar Majumder, Assistant Inspector Abdus Sobhan, and Court Assistants Nurul Islam and Ishak Fakir.
The ACC approved the inquiry on October 22 and appointed Deputy Director Julfikar Ali and Assistant Director SM Rafiqul Islam to this case.
“The commission sent several notices to the ministry asking them to provide information regarding its nine employees and their freedom fighter certificates on November 24 and 26,” an ACC official, requesting anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune.
The ACC officials met the ministry secretary in person on November 24 and December 6 to seek the information, but the ministry has yet to provide any, he said.
“We again sent a notice to the ministry asking them to provide the documents of those officials by December 18,” he added.
The Dhaka Tribune tried several times to contact acting ministry secretary MA Hannan, but he could not be reached.
However, the Dhaka Tribune was able to contact Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, who said he was not aware that the ministry had received the notices from the ACC.
“I did not know that the ACC had sent us these notices for information. I will look into this the day after tomorrow [tomorrow], and if I find the notices, I will take all necessary steps to ensure the ACC gets the information it sought.”
When asked about the dilly-dallying by the ministry in working with the ACC, the minister said: “These people who have been accused of forging freedom fighter certificates, they naturally have liaison with the corrupt people in the ministry, who are delaying the process to aid the accused. Let me look into it; I will make sure the ministry cooperates with the anti-graft body.”