The Anti-Corruption Commission will soon form a committee to conduct a formal inquiry into the affidavits of ministers and MPs who participated in the January 5 poll.
Following newspaper reports on the phenomenal rise in wealth of some ministers and MPs during the last five years, the ACC has collected the newspaper clippings and is now scrutinising the files, ACC Secretary Faizur Rahman Chowdhury told reporters yesterday.
He said the commission was yet to initiate any formal inquiry against any specific person.
“A committee will be formed soon to formally inquire into the wealth rises of MPs and ministers,” he told reporters while addressing the monthly briefing at the ACC headquarters.
He added that the commission would also investigate all the suspected candidates’ relatives’ wealth, as the ACC realised that people may have accumulated illegal wealth in their relatives’ names.
Responding to a query, the secretary also said the ACC was not hesitant to inquire into the wealth of ministers and MPs, and that it will conduct all its activities in accordance with the ACC act.
However, sources at the ACC said the commission has already started inquiring into the wealth of nine people, including six from Awami League, two from BNP and one other from a small party.
Asked about the ACC’s course of action were the government to disapprove of charges being filed, Faizur said although the commission did not require government permission to file a case, they did need permission to file charges.
“If we do not get permission, the media is here. Additionally, if we cannot get permission after having all the documents, we can seek court’s support on the matter,” he said.
Two and half years after it was tabled, the Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Bill 2013 was approved by parliament on November 10 last year; ignoring protests from politicians, civic forums and corruption watchdogs. A provision in the bill – requiring the graft-busting agency to get approval from government before filing cases against judges, magistrates and public servants – drew huge criticism from different sectors.
Answering a separate query about the money laundering case against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, the secretary said the ACC had appealed in the case after the acquittal of Tarique.
“Following the ACC’s appeal, the court directed him to surrender himself. If he does not follow the directives and does not surrender, that is a matter for the court, not for the ACC,” he said.
The High Court on Sunday accepted the ACC’s petition, which appealed against the lower court’s verdict acquitting the BNP senior vice-chairman, and ordered Tarique to surrender before the court in the aforementioned money laundering case.
The secretary also shed light on the activities of the commission, saying the ACC, in December, had received 490 corruption allegations; out of which which, 71 cases were considered for further investigation.
The ACC also approved the filing of 17 cases and 16 charge sheets in December. The judgments of seven cases investigated by the ACC were pronounced during the month, among which, the accused were acquitted from four cases.