NEWS UPDATES
July, 2008
Dhaka, July 28– The Anticorruption Commission will ask BNP joint secretary general Goyeshwar Chandra Roy to submit a wealth statement to the graft watchdog, an official said Monday.
"After completion of all procedure, the ACC will send a notice to Goyeshwar in a day or two," said ACC director general (administration) Col Hanif Iqbal in a news briefing.
Besides, the ACC will serve notices on Road and Highways former executive engineer Md Abdul Azim Joarder and his wife Selina Joarder seeking statements of their wealth.
In another development, Col Iqbal said, investigators have been permitted to press charges in four corruption cases against former prime minister Khaleda Zia's nephew Shahrin Islam Tuhin, Awami League presidium member Sajeda Chowdhury's son Md Shahadab Akbar, former manager of Islami Bank's Shahjadpur branch in Sirajganj district Abdus Sabur Khan and Fatikchhari upazila education officer Md Nuruzzaman.
The commission has also decided to file cases against 21 people, including two Roads and Highways executive engineers, on charges of embezzling Tk 174.35 crore from Meghna and Meghna-Gomati Bridge toll plaza.
Naogaon, July 23– Anticorruption Commission chairman Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury said Wednesday that it was not possible to drive out graft just by filing corruption cases or holding public meetings.
"No outer force or quarter will come to help us drive out corruption, we have to be free of corruption through our own sense of refinement or patriotism," the ACC chief told a meeting of government officials in Naogaon.
"We have to take the responsibility on our own to build a corrupt free nation," Chowdhury said at the meeting on institutionalised efforts to curb corruption.
"Government officials should have a sense of accountability to this end."
The ACC Chairman said it was not to be expected that graft could be wiped out overnight.
"People must avoid corruption by complying with religious practices, thinking of the future of their children and above all correcting themselves by being concerned about the country," the chairman said.
Panchagarh, July 21– The Anticorruption Commission chief Monday vowed to ratchet up activities to fight corruption after withdrawal of the state of emergency.
"The anti-graft drive was not designed on the basis of the state of emergency. The ACC will go tougher on graft after the emergency is withdrawn," ACC chairman Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury told reporters in Panchagarh after a meeting with government officials on institutionalised efforts to curb corruption.
The ACC chief also said the activities of national anticorruption taskforces might slow due to withdrawal of the emergency.
Chowdhury underscored the need for growing moral consciousness among government employees against corruption.
"Graft cannot be decriminalised on an excuse of low salary," said the former army chief.
"I don't believe people will stay away from corruption if their salaries are raised."
The ACC chairman said corruption could not be rooted out but could be brought down to a tolerable level.
"If abuse of power and exchange of bribe can be stopped, corruption will be nearly gone," he observed.
Pointing to a recent report of the Transparency International Bangladesh, the ACC chief said government officials were directly involved with graft.
The ACC told reporters that the ACC was currently dealing with 1,272 cases. Of them, the ACC itself filed 500 cases.
Dhaka, July 15—The Anticorruption Commission has made "significant progress" in carrying out anticorruption drives since the caretaker government came to power last year, according to the primary findings of a UNDP study on sustainability of the commission.
UNDP's resident representative Renata Dessallien, ACC director general (administration) Col Hanif Iqbal and the consultant of the research team Michael Th Johnson briefed reporters on the preliminary findings of the study carried out between June 12 and July 15.
"The study found that the commission has made impressive progress in the past 18 months in building an effective anticorruption initiative in Bangladesh," Johnson said at a press conference at Sonargaon Hotel Tuesday.
The research was mainly based on the interviews of the ACC officials and other experts with some case studies.
"The methodology of the study is very sound," he said without mentioning the number of people interviewed. This is a sustainability study. The ACC needs to build its capacity to face the enormous challenges ahead," Johnson told newsmen..
The United Nations Development Programme carried out the research, requested by the ACC.
"We will submit the report to the ACC through the UNDP in weeks," said Johnson.
The consultant said all of the respondents without exception told that the ACC should sustain through future. "The ACC is taking both punitive measures and preventive actions to curb corruption," Johnson said.
"The study is aimed at assessing the ACC and its sustainability. We rate the UNDP as the most impartial organisation in the country to conduct a research," said Iqbal.
"One percent of Bangladesh GDP went down the drain every year owing to corruption. This is huge," said Renata Dessallien.
Dessallien praised the performance of the ACC to cut corruption in the country
Dhaka, July 13 – The Anticorruption Commission Sunday sued AK Azad, managing director of Hamim Group, for allegedly earning property through undisclosed sources, police said.
Hamim Group owns Bangla-language daily Shamokal.
ACC deputy director Md Golam Mostafa filed the case with Ramna Police Station.
Azad stands accused of earning property worth Tk 20.36 crore in addition to his disclosed income.
ACC approves chargesheet against Babar
Dhaka, July 10 – The Anticorruption Commission has approved a chargesheet against former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, for amassing illegal wealth and concealing wealth-related information, an official said Thursday.
The commission has also sent notice to seven people seeking wealth statements, director general Colonel Hanif Iqbal said at a press briefing at the ACC office in Segunbagicha.
The ACC filed the case against Babar on Jan 13, with Ramna Police Station, accusing him with amassing illegally earned assets worth over Tk 7 crore in addition to those mentioned in his wealth statement submitted to the ACC.
The seven to receive wealth statement notices are: manager of Bangladesh Biman Md Shafiullah, acting chief engineer of Chittagong City Corporation Md Nizam Uddin, deputy secretary of the communications ministry Md Manjur Rahman, executive engineers of the Roads and Highways Department Md Shafiul Azam Bhuiyan, Sanaul Haque, Piar Ahmed and Khandaker Golam Mostafa, RHD deputy divisional engineer Golam Mohammad and RHD senior assistant Md Mazaharul Islam.
Dhaka, July 10 – The Anticorruption Commission has filed a case against Awami League presidium member and former minister Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, on charges of illegal earnings and concealing wealth-related information.
ACC assistant director Mozahar Ali Sarder filed the case with Ramna police Thursday afternoon.
ACC director general (administration) Col Hanif Iqbal told reporters earlier in the day: "In the wealth statement Sajeda Chowdhury submitted to the commission, she hid information about Tk 13.75 lakh, which she earned through illegal means."
The case also alleges that Sajeda spent money on private building works in her village home and on buying a plot in Dhaka's upmarket Banani residential area that were not mentioned in her wealth statement.
"The commission detected these expenditures in its investigation," said Iqbal.
The ACC sent a wealth statement notice to Sajeda Chowdhury on Nov 15 last year.
She submitted an account of her assets—totalling Tk 53.41 lakh and 100 tolas of gold ornaments—to the commission on Feb 11.
The ACC also approved separate cases to be filed against former AL state minister AKM Jahangir Hossain, Daily Samokal publisher AK Azad and Khaleda Zia's former assistant private secretary Abdul Matin, Iqbal told reporters Thursday.
Dhaka, July 3 – The Anticorruption Commission has filed a new case against former prime minister Khaleda Zia, son Tarique Rahman, and five others on charges of embezzlement from the Zia Orphanage Trust.
"The commission approved the graft case against seven people, including Khaleda Zia and her elder son Tarique Rahman, on charges of embezzling Tk 2.10 core from the Zia Orphanage Trust," ACC director general (administration) Col Hanif Iqbal told reporters earlier.
Others accused in the case include former BNP lawmakers Kazi Salimul Haque, Syed Ahmed, Gias Uddin Ahmed, Sharfuddin Ahmed and Mominur Rahman.
According to case details, a foreign organisation in 1992 donated Zia Orphanage Trust a Tk 4.66 crore grant, which was deposited with a bank and swelled to Tk 5.3 crore eventually, thanks to interest rates.
Later, the fund was allocated for the Trust branches in Bogra and Bagerhat.
In a probe, the ACC found that a large part of the money was not spent for the welfare of orphans and was splurged for other purposes.
The then prime minister Khaleda Zia's office allocated the fund. Khaleda was quizzed about the alleged fund embezzlement at special jail, the probe details said.
The Trust's chairman Tarique Rahman and member Arafat Rahman Coco were also interrogated.
ACC presses charges against Khoka
Dhaka, July 1 – The Anticorruption Commission Tuesday submitted a chargesheet against Dhaka mayor Sadek Hossain Khoka in a case that alleges earning property illegally and concealing wealth information.
ACC director Md Shamsul Alam filed the chargesheet with Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court against the former BNP minister.
Earlier in the day, the ACC approved the chargesheet.
The chargesheet shows Khoka as a fugitive.
Investigating officer Shamsul Alam told reporters: "Although Sadek Hossain Khoka has been shown absconding in the chargesheet, no arrest warrant was sought from the court against him."
The chargesheet said the mayor had concealed information in his wealth information to the ACC about Tk 9.65 crore worth of property.
"Also, he earned wealth worth Tk 9.76 crore illegally."
Alam filed the case with Ramna Police Station on April 2 against Khoka, his wife and children.
The ACC served notice on Khoka and his family on Nov 15 last year, asking them to turn in wealth statements.
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