The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday claimed that the anti-graft body’s inquiry into the phenomenal rise of wealth and assets of lawmakers and ministers was not “eyewash.”
“We are conducting the inquiry based on specific allegations and these are not eyewash. Wait, you will get the results,” ACC Secretary Faizur Rahman Chowdhury yesterday said.
He also hinted that the commission was scrutinising allegations and the figure could be bigger.
“The guilty parties will never confess the allegations, but the truth would be revealed if the ACC found evidence of irregularity against them,” he told reporters while giving monthly briefing of the commission.
The anti-graft body at this moment is conducting inquiry into the phenomenal rise of wealth and assets of two former ministers, a state minister and four lawmakers namely former health minister AFM Ruhal Haq, former state minister for housing and public works Abdul Mannan Khan, former state minister for water resources Mahbubur Rahman and lawmakers Abdur Rahman Badi of Cox’s Bazar 4, Aslamul Haque of Dhaka 14, Enamul Haque of Rajshahi 4 and Abdul Jabbar of Satkhira 2.
The commission is also inquiring into Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s student affairs secretary Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee (former lawmaker from Laxmipur 3 constituency) and Khulna city Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Mia Golam Parwar (former lawmaker from Khulna 5 constituency).
Last week, the commission also decided to begin probe against six secretaries and top officials of the government who took freedom fighters certificates prior to their retirement.
They are health and family welfare secretary Neazuddin Miah, liberation war affairs secretary KH Masud Siddiqui, science and technology secretary AKM Amir Hossain, expatriate welfare and overseas employment secretary Khondaker Showkat Hossain (though the report said housing and public works secretary), former secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office Molla Wahiduzzaman (now chairman of the Privatisation Commission) and liberation war affairs joint secretary Abul Kashem Talukder.
The ACC initiated the inquiry following a newspaper report that said at least 11,150 people from different professions took freedom fighters certificates over the last five years.
The report also said the certificates were taken by the secretaries at the last moment of their tenure only to extend their incumbency.
In his briefing, the ACC secretary also shed light on the regular activity of the commission, saying the commission in January received 618 corrupt allegations, of which, 118 were considered for further investigation after scrutiny.
It has approved filing of 18 cases and 38 charge sheets in January.
The judgments of six cases investigated by the ACC were pronounced during the month.
Of the six, the accused were acquitted from four cases.
