Selim Bhuiyan admits dealing with Niko

Former Dhaka Club president Selim Bhuiyan, who is accused in Niko scam case, yesterday admitted that all the dealings between Bangladesh government and the Canadian energy company were made through him, sources said.
Meantime, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday pressed charges against former Awami League lawmaker Sheikh Helaluddin and his wife Rupa Chowdhury in a case filed for handing in false wealth statements and building up assets through illegal means.
NIKO CASE
Metropolitan Magistrate Waliul Islam recorded the statement of Selim Bhuiyan after the ACC's Assistant Director SM Sahidur Rahman produced the detained businessman to the magistrate's chamber.
Details of his confessions, however, could not be known immediately.
Selim was placed on a four-day remand for interrogation in connection with the case after task force members arrested him Thursday.
The ACC in its January 11 forwarding report said Selim was involved in reaching contract with Niko and that all the dealings between the government and the energy company were made through him.
The case, in which Khaleda Zia and five other people are also implicated, was filed with Tejgaon Police Station on December 9 on charge that awarding the gas exploration deal to the Canadian company caused huge losses to the state.
The other accused are former law minister Moudud Ahmed, former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, former energy secretary Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, former acting energy secretary Khandaker Shahidul Islam, and Kashem Sharif, vice president (South Asia) of Niko Resources Bangladesh Ltd.
Detained Khaleda, Moudud and Mosharraf were shown arrested in the case on December 30.
In the case statement, ACC Assistant Director Mahbubul Alam said Khaleda Zia, who was the custodian of the country's wealth in her capacity as prime minister, criminally violated her oath and abused power by giving Niko through corruption the opportunity to extract gas worth Tk 10,000 crore.
The plaintiff said the other accused were complicit in the illegal deal.
HELAL CASE
The corruption watchdog's Assistant Director Syed Ahmed, who is also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet against the Helal couple to chief metropolitan magistrate's court, showing 23 people as prosecution witnesses.
The IO prayed for arrest warrants against them and sought attachment of their property as Helal and Rupa have been in hiding since the case was filed with Ramna Police Station September 24 on charges of concealing Tk 7.60 crore in their wealth statements and amassing Tk 16.22 crore through illegal means.