Rules needed to stop corruption suspects from leaving country

The High Court yesterday observed that a specific law or rules need to be formulated soon regarding imposition of embargo on corruption suspects or accused's leaving the country.

There is no specific law or rules for banning the people, against whom inquiries or investigations are running in connection with corruption allegations or cases, from leaving the country though they have rights to free movement according to the constitution, the court said.

"We hope that the Anti-Corruption Commission and the ministries concerned will take necessary steps to enact a law or formulate a rules to this effect soon," said the HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman.

The bench also ruled that the special judges' courts concerned will take decision whether such people against whom inquiries or investigations are underway can go abroad until a law is enacted or rules are framed to this effect.

The HC bench said it will give necessary guidelines in the full text of the verdict later on.

The court came up with the judgment after it heard a writ petition filed by one Ataur Rahman from Narsingdi challenging the ACC's action to restrain him from going abroad as a graft allegation against him was being inquired.

The court declared the ACC's action illegal and allowed Ataur to go to Sweden where he lives with his family.

Deputy Attorney General Sarwar Hossain Bappi told The Daily Star that the ACC issued a notice on August 2, 2020, asking Ataur, known as Sweden Ataur, to submit his wealth statement to the commission.

After he submitted the statement, the anti-graft body started an inquiry into his wealth and on December 20 that year, the commission issued a letter to the immigration police to refrain Ataur from going to Sweden.

Ataur then filed the petition with the HC challenging the ACC's action to prevent him from going abroad, Sarwar said.

Ataur's lawyer Munshi Moniruzzaman told this correspondent that his client runs a business in Sweden.

He has given the details about his asset to the ACC in line with its notice, he said, adding that there is no legal bar to his client to go abroad following the HC verdict.

Lawyer AKM Fazlul Hoque appeared for the ACC.