8 more officials under probe

The Anti-Corruption Commission is going to probe the allegedly forged freedom fighter certificates of eight top bureaucrats.

The ACC decision follows allegations that the officials managed the certificates during the 2009-2013 tenure of the then Awami League-led grand alliance government in a bid to extend their service tenure, said sources.

The certificates of five secretaries, one additional secretary and two joint secretaries will be under scrutiny. The graft watchdog has already started collecting information about the officials.

Earlier, the ACC probed such certificate forgery by three secretaries, one ex-secretary and one joint secretary and found irregularities and violation of Muktijoddha Council Act-2002 in issuing the five with freedom fighter certificates.

Upon receiving the probe report from the ACC on September 8, the liberation war affairs ministry revoked the certificates of Health Secretary Niaz Uddin Mia, Public Service Commission Secretary AKM Amir Hossain, ex-liberation war affairs secretary KH Masud Siddiqui (now OSD), and ex-joint secretary to the ministry Abul Kashem Talukder (now OSD).

The certificate of Molla Waheeduzzaman, former secretary at Prime Minister's Office and now chairman of Privatisation Commission, has been suspended.

The government this year so far has revoked freedom fighter certificates of 182 government officials.

Some public servants obtained fake certificates after the government increased the retirement age of freedom fighters from 57 years to 60 in two phases.

Around 11,000 freedom fighters are now in government service.