More former MPs, relatives sued

The Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) has filed separate cases against former minister Shajahan Siraj and his wife Rabeya Siraj, three former lawmakers, some of their family members and a former member of the Public Service Commission (PSC).
The other accused are former Awami League (AL) lawmaker Sheikh Helal and his wife Rupa Chowdhury, former AL lawmaker Haji Mohammad Selim and his wife Gulshan Ara Begum, former AL lawmaker Kamal Ahmed Majumder and former PSC member Prof Mahfuzur Rahman.
The cases were filed yesterday and on Sunday under different sections of the ACC Act, 2004 and the Emergency Power Rules (EPR), 2007, accusing them of accumulating wealth illegally and concealing information and giving false information in their wealth statements submitted to the anti-graft commission.
Meanwhile, as the number of important and sensational cases increased, the ACC sent a letter to the law ministry recently with recommendations for setting up five more special courts for quick disposal of the cases.
"The number of special courts will be increased, as we want to complete our ongoing works within the stipulated time," said ACC Secretary Mukhles Ur Rahman during a press briefing at the ACC head office. He gave a brief account of the new cases earlier.
The ACC filed the case against former forest and environment minister Shajahan Siraj and his wife Rabeya Siraj in connection with concealing information about their wealth and properties worth about Tk 4 lakh. Assistant Director of the ACC Khairul Huda filed the case with Ramna Police Station yesterday.
Shajahan Siraj was jailed for eight years in a tax-evasion case filed by National Board of Revenue (NBR) while his wife was sentenced to 40 years in five separate cases filed by the NBR.
Former lawmaker Kamal Ahmed Majumder, now detained, was accused of accumulating wealth worth over Tk 10 crore. ACC Deputy Director Morshed Alam filed the case with Ramna Police Station yesterday.
Law enforcers arrested Kamal Ahmed Majumder in the first phase of its crackdown on corruption-suspect political leaders in January.
ACC Deputy Director Manjur Ahmed filed the case against Sheikh Helal and his wife Rupa Chowdhury with Ramna Police Station yesterday in connection with concealing information about their wealth and properties worth over Tk 7 crore.
On June 13, Noor Ali, managing director of Unique Group of Companies, filed a case with Tejgaon Police Station accusing AL chief Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Helal and his wife Rupa Chowdhury of extorting Tk 5 crore in exchange for mediating between the Power Development Board (PDB) and his firm to finalise a power plant deal in 1997.
ACC Assistant Director Helal Uddin Sharif filed the case against Prof Mahfuzur Rahman with Kafrul Police Station under the sections 26 (2) and 27 (1) of the ACC Act, 2004, and 15 (D) of the EPR, 2007 Sunday for concealing information in his wealth statement submitted to the ACC.
In the first information report (FIR) of the case, the complainant said Mahfuzur Rahman concealed information about his actual wealth and properties worth over Tk 4.95 crore.
The accused had showed the concealed wealth and properties in his wife and daughter's name, police station sources said.
Mahfuzur Rahman, who was in the second list of corruption suspects published by the ACC, had resigned from the PSC.
Assistant Director of the ACC Mahbub Alam filed the case against Haji Mohammad Selim and his wife Gulshan Ara with Lalbagh Police Station yesterday under the sections 18 and 26 (1) of the ACC Act, 2004, and sections 15 of the EPR, 2007.
The complainant in the FIR said Selim accumulated wealth worth over Tk 14.65 crore, which is disproportionate to his known sources of income. The FIR also added that Selim concealed information about his actual wealth and properties worth over Tk 87.09 lakh in the wealth statement he submitted to the ACC.
ACC Deputy Director Manjur Ahmed also filed the case against Helal Uddin of Jhalakathi with Ramna Police Station yesterday under the sections 26 (2) and 27 (1) of the ACC Act, 2004 in connection with concealing information about his actual in the wealth statement submitted to the ACC.
On May 5, five special anti-graft courts were set up to deal with cases filed by the ACC and the NBR.
"The five special courts have become inundated with cases. As each of the cases record a large number of deposition of witnesses. For a court, dealing too many cases is difficult," said Zakir Hossain, director (law) of the ACC.
Sources said the law ministry has already initiated a move to set up five more special courts. About 16 cases, filed by the ACC, are now pending with the special courts while a number of new cases were filed by the ACC during the last few months. These are likely to be transferred to the special courts, as the cases are considered important. The ACC is in the process of filing more such cases.