ACC finds ex-state minister at fault

Former state minister for Liberation War Affairs AB Tajul Islam abused his powers to illegally issue freedom fighters' certificates to five government officials last year, the Anti-Corruption Commission has found.  

Irregularities were rife in the process and Tajul issued the certificates using his unilateral powers, bypassing the relevant law and the Jatiya Muktijoddha Council, commission sources said.

Under the law, the ministry cannot issue any freedom fighter's certificate without the recommendation of the Council. Doing so is violation of Muktijoddha Council Act-2002.

  The anti-graft body, which was investigating the five, including three incumbent secretaries, sent its report to the ministry yesterday.

The commission recommended revoking their certificates, as they resorted to forgery to obtain those.

The five are Privatisation Commission Chairman and former PMO secretary Mollah Waheeduzzaman,  Health Secretary Niaz Uddin Mia, Public Service Commission Secretary AKM Amir Hossain,  former Liberation War Affairs secretary KH Masud Siddiqui (now an OSD) and Joint Secretary of Liberation War Affairs ministry Abul Kashem Talukder (now an OSD).

According to the documents submitted to the ministry, Niaz Uddin was 15 years old, Masud Siddiqui 15, Amir Hossain 14, and Abul Kashem just about 12 during the war.

The report did not mention Waheeduzzaman's age at the time, but ACC sources earlier told The Daily Star that he was 16 then.  

The commission also sent the report to the Public Administration Ministry for taking action for their misconduct.

Contacted, Tajul denied that there were irregularities or violation of law on his part in issuing the certificates.

Asked to comment on the ACC report, Health Secretary Niaz Uddin advised this correspondent to speak to the Liberation War Affairs minister.

“It is the ministry that issues the certificate. I will not say anything about this,” he said and abruptly hung up the phone.    

The report, obtained by this paper, said the five bureaucrats resorted to cheating while in public service, which is a punishable crime under the penal code.

Under the law, they can be sentenced to seven years in prison and unspecified amount of fine.

Under the service rules, they can also be fired from job for providing false information in their applications, the report said.

"The Public Service Commission might take lawful action against them," it said, adding that these bureaucrats committed misconducts by obtaining the certificates ignoring laws, circulars and directives.

On November 7, 2010, the Prime Minister's Office issued a circular outlining four criteria for extending service period of freedom fighters in public service.

Of the five in question, four did not meet those. They are Waheeduzzaman, Niaz Uddin, Amir Hossain and Masud Siddiqui, the report said.

The circular was not applicable for Abul Kashem Talukder.

Interestingly, the circular was issued by the then PMO secretary Waheeduzzaman.

And none of the five applications was presented before the Jatiya Muktijoddha Council for its mandatory scrutiny.

Masud Siddiqui and Abul Kashem Talukder used their influence as secretary and joint secretary of the Liberation War Affairs ministry to obtain the certificates.

On August 10, the public administration ministry decided to take action under criminal law against those who obtained freedom fighters' certificates by faking documents to extend their service tenure.

It also decided to cancel the additional benefits of those who did not declare themselves as freedom fighters when they joined the service.

The government has revoked freedom fighters' certificates of 182 government officials so far this year, as they obtained those through cheating.

In November 2012, the Awami League-led government extended the retirement age of freedom fighters from 59 years to 60. Earlier in April 2010, their retirement age was extended by two years from 57.

After the decision, many public servants fraudulently took freedom fighters' certificates to extend their service tenure.

Following the 2012 extension, the number of freedom fighters in government services stood at around 11,000. Of them, those in the final years of their service now were at best 15 or 16 years old during the Liberation War.