The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

A Court in Dhaka city issued warrant of arrest against 12 'absconding' accused in the GATCO scam case, including six senior ministers of the immediate past BNP-led four-party alliance Government, while 10 others, including the detained former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and her youngest son Arafat Rahman Koko were shown arrested in the case.

The senior ministers, who were shown as 'fugitive' are-former Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman, former LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, former Information Minister M Shamsul Islam, former Commerce Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, former Agriculture Minister MK Anwar of the BNP and former Industries Minister and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Maulana Matiur Rahman Nizami.

Of the seven 'fugitive' senior ministers-M Saifur Rahman and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury are staying in Singapore, while others at their respective residences in the capital.

Besides, senior BNP leader and former Health Minister Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and former State Minister for Energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, who are also facing trial

on a number of separate corruption charges like BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, were also shown arrested in the case.

The other 'fugitives' are-Jahanara Akbar, the wife of the late Shipping Minister Col Akbar Hossain, former Shipping Secretary Zulfiqar Haider Chowdhury, former Chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority AK Rashid Uddin Ahmed, Directors of Gatco A Hasib, AK Musa Kazal and Ehsan Yusuf.

When asked, a senior official of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) the law enforcers would act after getting the directives of the Court.

Issuing the warrant of arrest against those 'absconding', as Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Johirul Huda sought for it, the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court in the capital fixed May 22 for producing the arrested and fugitive accused of the case before the Court.

Coincidently the May 22 is also earmarked for the beginning of much-talked about formal dialogue between Caretaker Government and the political parties. Begum Khaleda Zia and Maulan Matiur Rahman Nizami lead two of the countries four major political parties-the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami respectively as those parties Chiefs.

Passing the order following the plea made by ACC) Deputy Director Johirul Huda, also the Investigation Officer (IO) of the case, Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque asked the law enforcement agencies to produce the arrested and fugitives before his Court on May 22.

The ACC Deputy Director appealed to the Court for issuing warrants of arrest against the fugitives and to attach their property.

Earlier on Tuesday (May 13), the ACC pressed charges against detained former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko, two are also in jail, and 22 others in the graft case for causing Tk 14 crore loss to the state by illegally awarding container handling to Gatco, a private business firm.

The ACC filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station in the capital on September 2 last year against 13, including Begum Zia and her son, on charge of graft in awarding Gatco the contract for container handling at depots in Dhaka and Chittagong, which it claimed to have caused a loss to the state to the tune of Tk 1,000 crore.

The following day (September 3 last year), the Army-led Joint Forces arrested Begum Zia and her son Arafat Rahman Koko from their residence inside Dhaka Cantonment, as part a crackdown against the prominent corruption suspects.

In the charge-sheet the ACC alleged that the high-profile accused "caused a loss of over Tk 14 crore to the public exchequer" by striking the container-handling deal with the Greenhorn Company (Gatco) despite its lack of experience and skills to do the job.

The allegation has it that they awarded the deal through "misuse of power and violating the tender conditions in collaboration with one another".

Meanwhile, two separate High Court Division Benches yesterday rejected to entertain ad interim bail petition by two former senior ministers-M Shamsul Islam and MK Anwar. One of the Benches, however, advised them to file the petition tomorrow (on Saturday), the day for regular bail petition.

MK Anwar and M Shamsul Islam failed to get their separate motions accepted for anticipatory bail after surrendering to the two separate High Court Division Benches, but the judges did not entertain the pleas.

Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajol, a counsel for the two former Ministers, told journalists that he moved the petitions in two separate High Court Division Benches, but was "disappointed".

One Division Bench headed by Justice Khondker Musa Khaled refused to accept the motion for hearing and the other bench headed by M Mozammel Hossain did not pay heed to it on grounds of preoccupation for disposal of the day's scheduled cases, the lawyer said.

The second Bench, however, advised the counsel to move the petitions next Sunday, the regular motion day, he added.