Curbing Corruption: Won’t allow pick and choose policy

The High Court yesterday said it would not allow any "pick and choose policy" of the Anti-Corruption Commission.

"It seems from the activities of the commission that it implicates people according to its wish. We will not allow the commission's such pick and choose policy in any manner," said the HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim.

It also said the "hands of the corrupt have to be broken" to ensure the country's development. "Otherwise, the country will see no development."

The HC bench was hearing two petitions filed seeking anticipatory bail in two corruption cases, which were lodged by the ACC.

One of the cases was filed over the misappropriation of Tk 13 lakh from the lease of six Kheya Ghats (boat stations) in Satkhira in the last 10 years.

The HC bench found that higher officials of Satkhira Zila Parishad were not implicated in the case, which was lodged with the ACC's Khulna office on January 27 against 12 people, including Chief Assistant of the Parishad Khalilur Rahman and Assistant SM Nazmul Hossain.

Khalilur and Nazmul filed a petition with the HC, seeking anticipatory bail. They also appeared before the HC bench yesterday.

The bench asked ACC Deputy Director in Khulna Md Nazmul Hossain and three senior officials of Satkhira Zila Parishad to appear before the court on February 14 to hear their explanation on the embezzlement of the state money.

During the hearing of the bail petition, the lawyers of the two accused, Md Ozi Ullah, told the court that the ACC implicated the lower-level officials of the Parishad in the case, excluding the higher-tier ones.

The HC asked ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan how lower-level officials could embezzle money, keeping their superiors in the dark.

The lawyer replied that the commission would implicate the higher officials if they were found involved in the corruption.

The HC bench said it could not be always happy with ACC's activities.

The bench held hearing on another anticipatory bail petition filed by Jahangir Alam, the then sub registrar of Bhaluka upazila in Mymensingh. Now, he is a sub-registrar of Jashore.

The ACC filed the case with its Mymensingh district office against Jahangir and two others over misappropriating Tk 9 crore of two persons of Voradubi Union using forged documents.

"How a sub-registrar dares to commit such big corruption!" the HC exclaimed.

The bench refused to grant bail to Jahangir and ordered him to surrender to the trial court concerned in two weeks, Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik told The Daily Star.