Whose side is ACC on?
Over the last three years, Sharif Uddin painstakingly enquired and investigated corruption allegations and recommended the Anti-Corruption Commission file 22 graft cases against various individuals and quarters in Chattogram and Cox's Bazar.
Although the ACC did not act on any of the recommendations, it took almost no time in opening a probe against him, following a complaint filed by three individuals in September last year.
Interestingly, a previous investigation by Sharif had found all three involved in running a powerful syndicate that acquires land in Cox's Bazar through forgery and flexing muscle.
On Wednesday, the corruption watchdog terminated Sharif from the post of deputy assistant director, triggering an outcry among his colleagues, who call him an honest and sincere officer. They said he paid the price for his firm stance against corruption.
Around 50 ACC officials held a human chain in front of the ACC headquarters in the capital's Shegunbagicha on Thursday, protesting the termination.
Sharif had previously worked at the ACC office in Chattogram for three and a half years before being transferred to Patuakhali in June 2021. While in Chattogram, he filed 52 corruption cases against various individuals, organisations and quarters.
He was the plaintiff in the ACC cases filed against Election Commission officials in June last year over illegally including many Rohingyas in the voter list and providing them with national identification cards.
He came into the limelight for filing corruption cases against the ruling Awami League mayor in Cox's Bazar municipality, a ward councillor of Chattogram City Corporation, several union council chairmen in Chattogram and Cox's Bazar, and three high police officials.
Sharif also investigated financial allegations against the son of a former minister, and various government officials and law enforcers, including Cox's Bazar PBI police super, a former deputy commissioner, deputy secretaries, UNOs, an AC land, a former director of Petrobangla, and a general manager of Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL), said his colleagues.
Besides, he submitted to the ACC three separate charge sheets against 155 people in Cox's Bazar over land acquisition scams in 2019. The three who filed the complaints against him were among the 155.
The graft watchdog did not approve the charge sheets.
Sharif had also recommended the commission file eight cases against "rogue" KGDCL officials for alleged irregularities in recruitment in 2019, and seven cases for "unfair overnight" promotions in KGDCL and providing illegal gas connection to different companies and organisations.
Instead of approving the filing of the cases, the ACC ordered reinvestigations into those allegations, without even showing any grounds, said Sharif's colleagues, wishing not to be named.
Asked about it, Jahurul Haque, commissioner (investigation) of ACC, said he could not instantly remember what prompted the graft watchdog to launch the reinvestigation.
He did not make any further comments.
On 6 February this year, Sharif was at his home in Chattogram. In that evening, he was stopped by some people at the basement of the building he lives in. They threatened that they will have him sacked if he did not withdraw cases against them. They also warned him of dire consequences.
He filed a general diary with Khulshi Police Station of the city the same night over the matter.
He also wrote to the ACC seeking proper security. He was sacked 10 days later.
ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SHARIF
The Daily Star has obtained copies of the written complaints against Sharif.
Businessmen Md Idris, Belayet Hossen and lawyer Nurul Haque filed three separate complaints, alleging that Sharif threatened to frame them over land acquisition if he was not paid money.
They also alleged Sharif exercised power beyond his jurisdiction to impose "No Debit" on their accounts without prior permission from the court.
He even tortured Md Idris in remand to glean information to prove the charges, according to one of the complaints.
In January, an ACC official investigating the allegations wrote to the authorities of the Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where Idris underwent treatment.
CMCH in a letter, signed by Medical Officer Md Momin Ullah Bhuiyan on January 29, informed the ACC that they did not find marks of torture on Idris.
Idris, Nurul and Belayet led a land acquisition syndicate in Cox's Bazar which plundered public money by forging land documents and flexing muscles, depriving the landowners, according to several reports published by The Daily Star in 2021.
Faking land documents and in collusion with land acquisition officials, the syndicate embezzled Tk 29 crore only in 2020, according to one of those reports.
None of the three could be reached for comments yesterday.
Investigating Officer Mahbubul Alam, the then deputy director of Chattogram ACC (Office-2), in his enquiry report on Sharif, had said the imposition of "No Debit" order went against ACC rules and regulation.
It has to be done with permission from the court. Sharif Uddin deviated from ACC rules, he said.
Asked about the issue, Sharif said he did not impose any order, rather he requested some banks to not allow some of their clients to withdraw money.
"I made the request to stop plundering of public money. I had no personal interest there," he told The Daily Star last night.
He said he did not torture Idris.
Belayet Hossen moved to the High Court after he allegedly failed to withdraw money from a private bank last year. The HC then said Sharif's request to the banks was illegal.
ACC also brought allegations against Sharif for keeping a seized amount of Tk 94 lakh under his possession.
Asked about it, Sharif said he handed over the amount to the ACC's office in Chattogram before joining his office in Patuakhali.
"It is quite common to keep seized money in our office vaults," he said, adding his seniors were informed about it.
ACC Director in Chattogram Mahmud Hasan declined to comment on this.
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