The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The Anti-Corruption Commission has decided to initiate a primary inquiry into the wealth of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's younger brother and former BNP MP Major (retd) Syed Iskander.

According to sources, the Commission has already appointed its deputy director Moniruzzaman Khan to conduct the primary inquiry against Iskander, also a BNP vice-chairman.

At the onset of the Awami League government in 1996, now-defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption issued a notice to Iskander directing him to submit his wealth statement.

Subsequently, the High Court, following a writ petition by Iskander challenging the legality of the notice, issued a stay order on the functioning of the notice. But that stay order has been vacated recently, prompting the ACC to decide to begin an inquiry.

If anything suspicious is found in the primary inquiry, he would be issued notice directing him to submit his wealth statement, the sources said.

The notice was issued to him in 1996 under the Corruption Prevention Act, 1947 and this time notice will be issued under the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004 and the Anti-Corruption Commission Rules, 2007.

Meanwhile, the Commission chose two officers to investigate the two cases filed Sunday against former Prime Ministers Khaleda Zia, Sheikh Hasina and 10 others for alleged corruption in awarding deals to Niko, ACC director general (admin) Col Hanif Iqbal told reporters Wednesday afternoon.

But, he said one of them has been issued order to be posted outside the ACC headquarters while the other official said he is sick.

The Commission would now decide whether the official ordered to be posted outside would be kept in Dhaka for the sake of the investigation and would wait for the recovery of the other officer, or the Commission would think about their alternatives.

Hanif said the Commission in its today's meeting would take a decision on this.

Meanwhile, the Commission has appointed deputy director Akhter Hossain as inquiry officer to inquire into the wealth of Dhaka City Mayor Sadek Hossain Khoka who submitted his wealth statement to the ACC on December 6.