The government yesterday decided to cancel the freedom fighters’ certificates of five secretaries as those were proven false in the investigation carried out by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Freedom Fighters Council, widely known as Jatiya Muktijoddha Council or Jamuka, under the Liberation War Affairs Ministry. Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, and chairman of Jamuka, chaired the meeting at the Jamuka office in the capital’s Moghbazar yesterday.
The five officials are – former senior secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office and incumbent Privatisation Commission Chairman (on state minister status) Molla Waheduzzaman, Health Secretary Neaz Uddin Mia, Public Service Commission Secretary AKM Amir Hossain, former liberation war affairs secretary (now OSD) KH Masud Siddiqui and former joint secretary of Liberation War Affairs Ministry Abul Kashem Talukder.
After the meeting, Mozammel said the certificates of the five would be cancelled as those were given bypassing the decision of the Jamuka. There is no option of issuing freedom fighters certificates without any prior decision of the council.
The move came after the ACC sent a letter to the Liberation War Affairs Ministry and the Public Administration Ministry last Monday, requesting them to take legal and departmental actions against the five for the offence. The letter reached the ministries on Wednesday.
Although the Liberation War Affairs Ministry reached a decision on the issue yesterday, the Public Administration Ministry was yet to make any visible move as of yesterday.
Refusing to comment in this regard, Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Public Administration Ministry’s senior secretary, said: “We received ACC’s letter. We will take necessary legal steps soon following the rules and regulations.”
Asked when the steps might be taken, he said: “Everything will be transparent when we take the steps.”
On the other hand, while talking to media after the Jamuka meeting, Liberation War Affairs Minister Mozammel said: “The freedom fighter’s certificates of those persons who had got them without the council’s approval, will be cancelled.”
Replying to another query, the minister said: “The service age of the accused officials will end this year. They might have got the extension of service for one more year if the certificates were real. But, as it was proven to be fake, they will not get the advantage.
“At the same time, the Public Administration Ministry will take legal steps against them following service rules... We have cancelled their certificates. We have completed our duty. Now, it is the duty of the Public Administration Ministry to take legal action.”
According to ministry officials, departmental cases might be filed against the officials for violation of service rules and disciplines. Fraud cases might also be filed against them, if it is proved that they were involved with fraudulence.
On a separate note, Mozammel said the ministry has decided to put on hold all the freedom fighters lists except the “Muktibarta red book” and the “Indian training camp list.”
Names of 154,000 freedom fighters were mentioned in the Muktibarta, formed during Awami League’s 1996-2001 term; while the number of freedom fighters who received training in Indian training camps is 65,000.
Mozammel said the rest of the lists would be put on hold until the fresh scrutinising process is ended. Freedom fighters would get identity cards after a fresh list of freedom fighters is published on March 26 next year, he added.
According to the Liberation War Affairs Ministry, around 11,150 people including several senior officials had taken freedom fighter’s certificates from the Jamuka during the past six years.
