The Public Administration Ministry has finally issued show-cause notices to four high-ranked bureaucrats who had acquired freedom fighters certificates by giving false information.
Their fake certificates were cancelled on September 14.
The secretaries were asked to explain within 10 days why departmental action should not be taken against them, Public Administration Ministry's Senior Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
The officials are Health Secretary Neaz Uddin Mia, Public Service Commission Secretary AKM Amir Hossain, and former liberation war affairs secretary (now OSD) KH Masud Siddiqui and former joint secretary Abul Kashem Talukder (now OSD).
The Liberation War Affairs Ministry has already cancelled fake certificates of around 250 persons including the four bureaucrats. The procedure of cancelling 400 more fake certificates is under way.
On September 14, the ministry also withheld the freedom fighter certificate of former senior secretary to the prime minister’s office Molla Waheduzzaman, now chairman of the Privatisation Commission. He was allowed to appeal against the decision.
Kamal said they had not taken any steps against Wahed since he was not serving as a regular public servant.
“The ministry will request the Cabinet Division to take action against him as it is the discretion of the prime minister to remove a person serving on contractual appointment,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Earlier, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haq told the Dhaka Tribune that they would take tough action against the officials of the ministry and the National Council of Freedom Fighters for their involvement in the forgery of freedom fighter certificates.
His ministry cancelled the four certificates following recommendations of the Anti-Corruption Commission. The ACC also requested the Public Administration Ministry to take departmental action against the officials.
