ACC won't sue Khaleda, Hasina on wealth matter

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) will not file any case against former prime ministers Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia regarding their wealth.
"The ACC has decided to add in its record that enquiry did not find any evidence regarding Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia amassing wealth through illegal means," said ACC Director General (admin) Col Hanif Iqbal at a routine press briefing yesterday.
The ACC took this decision after a year-long enquiry.
The commission yesterday also decided to forward to the government for disposal the allegation against ACC chief Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury of laundering Tk 20.41 crore from Trust Bank.
Former executive chairman of the Board of Investment Mahmudur Rahman had
earlier made the allegation.
Moreover, the ACC sent a list of 53 graft-accused to the Truth and Accountability Commission (Tac) yesterday as the accused had applied to it (ACC) offering to make voluntary disclosures about their wealth to Tac. Former BNP state minister Maj (retd) Kamrul Islam is on the list.
Meanwhile, Khaleda submitted her wealth statement to the ACC on August 6 last year, showing properties worth Tk 3.54 crore while Hasina submitter her statement mentioning that she owns wealth worth around Tk 3 crore.
ACC Deputy Director SM Sabbir Hasan submitted his enquiry report on Hasina's wealth in August this year. And ACC Deputy Director Golam Shahriar Chowdhury submitted his probe report on Khaleda's wealth last year, ACC sources said.
The enquiry into Hasina's wealth started in September last year and was postponed several times due to High Court (HC) stay orders. The HC orders followed Hasina's petition challenging legality of the ACC notice asking her to submit wealth statement.
The ACC sent the notice to Hasina on July 17 last year through the authorities of the sub-jail on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises where she had been detained. The commission also issued the notice to Khaleda the same day.
The ACC decided to forward the allegation against its chief in accordance with the ACC act, 2004. The act provides that the commission has to forward to the government issues regarding which there is no specification of action in it.
The act does not say what should be done in case the ACC chief is an accused, commission sources noted.