Have EC probed by judicial council

One hundred and one Supreme Court lawyers yesterday sent a letter to President Abdul Hamid, requesting him to constitute the Supreme Judicial Council to probe allegations of "financial corruption and gross misconduct" against the CEC and other election commissioners.

They also requested the president to remove the CEC and other commissioners from their posts.

In the letter, the SC lawyers urged the president to take away the post of chief election commissioner from KM Nurul Huda and hand his responsibilities to an election commissioner while an inquiry takes place into the allegations.

The 101 lawyers, who signed the letter, include AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, a joint secretary general of the BNP and also a former secretary of Supreme Court Bar Association, former SCBA secretary Md Bodruddoza, SM Aminul Islam Sanu, Syeda Ashifa Ashrafi Papia, Taimur Alam Khondaker, Md Golam Mostafa, Md Zahirul Islam, Md Aktaruzzaman, Md Mujahidul Islam, Shihab Uddin Khan, Md Kamal Hossain and SM Zulfiqure Ali. Most of them are known as pro-BNP lawyers.

Shihab Uddin Khan told The Daily Star that 12 lawyers among the 101 signatories went to the Bangabhaban, official residence of the president, yesterday afternoon and handed the letter to officials on duty to place it before President Hamid.

The lawyers in the letter cited different allegations against the CEC and other election commissioners, including misappropriation of money from the budget allocated for polls-related training, irregularities in recruiting EC staffers, using cars in violation of the relevant rules, irregularities in purchasing electronic voting machines (EVMs), inaction and failure in taking action against irregularities in different polls, incompetence in discharging constitutional duties and taking financial benefits as "special speakers".

They said the present CEC and other commissioners have failed to perform their constitutional responsibilities and duties and have turned the EC into an organisation which is benefitting by misusing power.

Such grave unethical and finance-related misconduct by the constitutional post holders are the offence that deserves impeachment, they said in the letter, adding that the CEC and other ECs, accused of corruption and gross misconduct, need to be removed through conducting an inquiry by forming the SJC under Article 118(5) of the constitution immediately.

The SJC comprises the chief justice and two other senior-most judges of the Appellate Division to probe allegations against SC judges, the Election Commission and other constitutional bodies, and recommend removal of individuals involved in the allegations.

Earlier on December 14 last year and January 17 this year, 42 eminent citizens sent two letters requesting the president to constitute the SJC to probe allegations of "serious financial corruption and gross election-related misconduct" against the EC.

In the letter sent on December 14, the citizens mentioned that members of the EC, under KM Nurul Huda's leadership, have committed misconduct and irregularities, including spending Tk 2 crore for delivering speeches as "special speakers" and Tk 8.08 crore in recruiting staffers for the commission.

Three commissioners have also allegedly been using cars in violation of relevant rules. The letter also said the EC has committed gross misconduct and irregularities in buying and using the electronic voting machines, and in holding the 11th parliamentary election and elections to Dhaka north and South city corporations, and Khulna, Gazipur, Sylhet, Barishal and Rajshahi city corporations.