The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The process of submitting charge sheet in GATCO case against 13 persons, including former Prime Minister and detained BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, is at the final stage.

"We've made enough progress about the GATCO case. The process of submitting charge sheet in the case is almost completed. It's in the final stage of scrutiny," ACC director general (administration) Col. Hanif Iqbal, also the Commission's spokesperson, said during a regular briefing this (Monday) afternoon.

He informed that earlier in the day eminent jurist Dr Kamal Hossain came to meet with ACC chairman Lt Gen (retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury at the ACC head office to express his support to the Commission's activities.

"He (Dr Kamal) also gave legal advice about the ACC's ongoing cases," Col. Hanif said.

Asked about the allegations of tax evasion against Dr Kamal, he said:

"I'm not his spokesman. He will be able to best answer (the question). Moreover, this is the matter for National Board of Revenue (NBR), not of the Commission."

Replying to a query, the ACC director general said: "I myself submitted my wealth statement on the first day of joining the Commission. There is no one in the Commission who didn't submit his wealth statement. It has become a practice for all officials to submit their wealth statement before joining (ACC)."

About the 12 suspected corrupts who were asked to submit wealth statements within seven working days, he said they have not submitted their wealth statements as yet, nor prayed for any time. But the deadline is yet to expire.

He said the Commission has a plan to send a 10-member team, including five lawyers on ACC panel, to Jaipur in India in the first half of December to receive training on Asset Recovery and International Cooperation in the context of anti-corruption investigation. The British Government will finance the training program.

The ACC spokesperson said the process of recruiting more manpower by motivation from different government organizations to fill up the vacant posts in the Commission. At the same time, the Commission is also conducing training programs to raise the skills of its manpower.

The anti-graft watchdog, he said, has already decided to fill the posts of its six divisional directors for strengthening the activities of the Commission outside the Dhaka. The Commission also decided to shift its Rajshahi divisional office to Bogra considering operational and administrative facilities, he added.

Col Hanif informed that the Commission's public awareness program for Dhaka Division would be held at the Shilpakala Academy in the city on December 6 with ACC chairman Lt Gen (retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury in the chair.

He said the ACC chairman would hold a view exchange meeting with the chiefs of electronics media on November 29 in creating public opinion against corruption.