Graft Cases: ACC arrests three govt officials

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday arrested three government officials on charges of graft and caught a government staff red-handed while he was taking bribe.

The arrestees are Acting Executive Engineer of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) Saifur Rahman, Superintendent Engineer of Public Works Department (PWD) ABM Jalal Uddin and Sonali Bank's Nawabganj branch officer Haradhan Sarkar. They were arrested in three different cases.

The anti-graft body held Ruhul Amin, an office assistant of Nalitabari upazila land office, at his office.

Besides, three businessmen accused in a graft case filed by the ACC surrendered before a Dhaka court yesterday. Two of them were sent to jail while the other secured bail.

ACC Deputy Director Mozahar Ali Sardar said Jalal, while working as an executive engineer of Gaibandha PWD, along with five others allegedly embezzled Tk 4.78 crore forging tender documents.

A tender was invited to build Technical Training Center (TTC). Contractor Mominul Islam was selected to construct the TTC at about Tk 14 crore.

According to the contract, they were supposed to withdraw only 20 percent of the total cost in advance. But they forged the tender documents and withdrew Tk 4,78,89,000 without any work, he said.

A case was filed against six persons, including Jalal and Mominul, with Gaibandha Police Station on April 17, 2013. Jalal was arrested from Dhaka.

Sonali Bank officer Haradhan was also arrested from the capital.

Case statements say Haradhan, while an officer of Kalakopa Branch of Sonali Bank, in collaboration with 11 other accused opened 46 accounts using the name of different fake organisations with the branch.

Together, the accused transferred Tk 48,25,000 to the accounts and later withdrew it, read the documents.

The case was filed against them with Nawabganj Police Station on October 12, 2015.

In Chittagong, the ACC arrested Saifur Rahman, the acting executive engineer of CCC, from Kotwali Police Station on charge of amassing wealth worth Tk 33.93 lakh illegally.

Hamidul Hasan, deputy director (Dhaka) of the anti-graft body, filed a case against Saifur on July 17 this year with Khulshi Police Station.

According to the case statement, the arrestee amassed wealth worth Tk 33.93 lakh illegally and concealed information worth around Tk 1.40 lakh.

In Sherpur, office assistant of Nalitabari Upazila land office Ruhul demanded Tk 20, 000 from one Dilani Chiran for cancelling a mutation order.

On being informed by Chiran, an ACC team launched a sting operation and caught Ruhul red-handed while he was taking bribe.

Later, a case was filed against Ruhul with Nalitabari Police Station.

Meanwhile, managing director of Stake Fashions Ltd Fazlul Haque Khan, its directors Hafizul Haque Khan and Aminul Haque Khan surrendered before the Metropolitan Session Judge's Court to avoid arrest in an ACC graft case.

According the case statement, the accused opened a back-to-back letter of credit with Eastern Bank Ltd, imported 3,14,595 yards of cloth and sold them in the open market.

“Creating fake airway bill, they showed 70,000 piece of dresses as exported and misappropriated Tk 1,68,29,086,” said Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya, public relations officer of the ACC.

A case was filed against them with Motijheel Police Station on February 23, 2016.

The court sent Fazlul and Aminul to jail while granted bail to Hafizul considering his old age.