Top govt officials quizzed

Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) officials yesterday questioned four former bureaucrats in connection with the Niko graft case filed against detained former prime minister Khaleda Zia and four others.
Several days ago ACC Assistant Director Shahidur Rahman, investigation officer of the case, asked the bureaucrats to appear at the ACC headquarters in order to have their statements regarding the case.
Director Finance of Petrobangla CM Yusuf Hossain, former joint secretary of the energy ministry, is among the bureaucrats who were questioned. The other three were former high-ranking officials of the finance ministry and Petrobangla. Names of the three could not be known.
ACC sources said officials who were involved with the process of the Niko deal would be questioned in turns.
Khaleda Zia, prime accused in the case, is likely to be questioned in this connection at the makeshift jail early March, UNB reports.
ACC Assistant Director Mahbubul Alam filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station on December 9, 2007 against Khaleda and four others in connection with inflicting a huge loss to the state by awarding gas deals to Canadian gas exploration company Niko abusing their power.
The co-accused of Khaleda Zia are detained former law minister Moudud Ahmed, detained former state minister for energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, former acting energy secretary Khandaker Shahidul Islam, and Vice-president (South Aisa) Niko Research Bangladesh Ltd Kashem Sharif.
A separate case was also filed with the same police station on the same day against detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and six others in connection with the same charges.
Moudud Ahmed and AKM Mosharraf have already been questioned by ACC officials in this regard.