The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) last night filed its first graft case against former prime minister Khaleda Zia, her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko and 11 others.
They have been charged with violating tender conditions in appointing Global Agro Trade (Private) Company Ltd (GATCO), an indenting house, for container handling at the Dhaka Inland Container Depot (ICD) and the Chittagong Port ICD yard despite its lacking experience and skills.
The co-accused in the case are ex-chairmen of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Commodore (retd) Zulfiqur Ali and AMM Shahadat Hossain, ex-director (transport) of CPA AM Sanwar Hossain, former chief finance and accounts officer Ahmed Abul Qashem, former Director Luthful Kabir, Ismail Hossain Simon, son of former shipping minister and BNP leader Col (retd) Akbar Hossain, GATCO directors Syed Galib Ahmed, Syed Tanveer Ahmed and AKM Musa Kajol and Akbar's wife Jahanara Ansar and one Ehsan Yusuf.
In the case filed by ACC Deputy Director Golam Shahriar Chowdhury with the Tejgaon Police Station, it was alleged that violating conditions the former prime minister and her son influenced the tender process and the CPA officials helped GATCO win the tender although a three-member tender evaluation committee of the port termed GATCO unfit for the work.
GATCO tried to win the work through interference of the then shipping minister Akbar Hossain. For this, they undertook different ill activities and won the deal misusing the power of Khaleda and Akbar in connivance with Akbar's son Simon.
The company provided 41 percent of GATCO's share to Akbar's wife Jahanara, five percent to AKM Musa Kajol and five percent to Ehsan Yusuf before contesting the tender.
As the company and its directors had no equipment and previous experience, they showed one Shahjahan S Hasib as a director of GATCO, who has experience in container handling, in an ill attempt to fulfill the conditions of the tender, the case said.
The complainant also mentioned that during the course of investigation it was found that 25 organisations bought tender schedules and six of them contested for the bid.
A three-member technical committee formed by the CPA to evaluate the tenders reported that the owners and directors of GATCO have no experience in the job. However, the same committee's report announced the company as responsive and recommended that job be given to it.
The recommendation was sent to the shipping ministry after approval by the CPA.
The case statement said the government's purchase committee in a meeting also found GATCO lacking experience and the proposal was not processed following due rules.
The purchase committee meeting unanimously rejected the illegal proposal of the ministry and recommended for re-tendering the work.
An investigation revealed that Akbar, who was present in that meeting, briefed his son Simon about the proposal of the meeting. To get favour of Khaleda, Simon contacted Arafat and sought his assistance.
After being informed, Arafat influenced his mother win GATCO the job and demanded half the money Simon was supposed to get illegally, the case said.
Arafat influenced his mother after Simon agreed with his demand. Soon after the documents of the tender reach the prime minister's office, Khaleda took initiatives to get GATCO the job, misusing her position and without taking into account any objection by the evaluation and ministerial on purchase.
Due to lack of experience GATCO could not conduct the work smoothly resulting in violence at the ICD on different occasions which caused government a loss of over Tk 1,000 crore, the case said.
The ACC also held Khaleda responsible for the loss caused to the country.
The complainant also said that during interrogation GATCO's sponsored director Galib said that after getting the work he on different occasions gave over Tk 2.19 crore to Simon as per the illegal deal.
When reporters and cameramen of different television channels approached Golam Shahriar after filing of the case at around 11:15pm, he left the place hurriedly.
Many BNP lawmakers and leaders under the shelter of the then prime minister Khaleda had been involved in widespread corruption in the five years of the BNP-Jamaat regime and allegedly accumulated huge wealth and properties by misappropriating power and through illegal means.
A number of former BNP lawmakers and top leaders were arrested in the first crackdown in February after Fakhruddin Ahmed-led caretaker government assumed office in January and declared a war against corruption and criminal godfathers.
As the drive against the corrupt continued, Tarique Rahman was arrested from the cantonment residence of his mother on March 8.
The joint forces in a late night raid also detained Khaleda Zia's younger son Arafat Rahman on April 15. Arafat, however, was released the next day after being interrogated about his and his aides' alleged involvement in fetching a huge amount of money from different sectors by using clout.
Earlier on June 12, Khaleda, her elder son Tarique Rahman and 12 other BNP leaders, who were directors of Daily Dinkal Limited, were sued for not submitting service return of the daily for the last several years.
Under the Income Tax Ordinance, 1984, the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) of the NBR had earlier asked the banks to provide it with banking information about Khaleda and 10 of her family members.
Finally, the NBR on August 29 asked all banks to freeze the accounts of the former prime minister, her son Arafat and nine others of her family.
Sources said the government is preparing a case over Khaleda's wealth statement submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which has some gross anomalies.
The NBR recently okayed Khaleda's Tk 1.30 crore undisclosed money on payment of Tk 33 lakh tax but rejected Tarique and Koko's bid to legalise Tk 18 lakh and Tk 1.5 crore respectively by paying a total tax and fine of Tk 44 lakh.
Earlier, the High Court quashed two graft cases against Khaleda Zia filed during AL regime regarding Khaleda Zia's house decoration and Airbus purchase.