The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The Anti-Corruption Commission has decided to file two cases against nine individuals, including former BNP ministers Shamsul Islam and Shajahan Siraj, and businessman Giasuddin Al Mamun, for causing losses to the state coffer through illegally making permanent allocation of about 24 acres of forestland in Bhawal National Park, Gazipur.

The nine accused also include Orion Group chairman Obaidul Karim, Shajahan Siraj's son, two incumbent senior government officials and a retired secretary.

ACC director general (admin) Col Hanif Iqbal told the Commission's regular briefing that the anti-graft watchdog yesterday approved the filing of the cases for corruption relating to forestland.

The first case will be filed against eight individuals for alleged corruption in making permanent allocation of 13 acres of forestland. The accused will be Shamsul, Siraj, Mamun, Karim, Siraj's son Rajib Siraj Apu, former Gazipur deputy commissioner Sahab Ullah (currently EPB vice-chairman), former Gazipur additional deputy commissioner Rafiqul Islam (currently member of Bangladesh Science and Industry Research Council) and former Land secretary Azad Ruhul Amin.

The second case will be filed also against eight individuals for making permanent allocation of 10.75 acres of forestland. Apart from Orion Group chairman Karim, seven others of the first case will also be implicated in the second case. The eighth person to be implicated in the second case is Mujibul Haque, managing director of Green House Organic Farms Ltd.

The nine individuals will be accused of fraudulence, abuse of power and taking illegal route in allocating the forestland. Both the cases will be filed under section 5(2) of the Corruption Prevention Act, 1947 and section 109 of the Penal Code.

Besides, Hanif told the briefing that the Commission has approved the filing of a case against Tangail pourasava chairman Jamilur Rahman Miron and his wife Zannat Ferdous for amassing wealth worth Tk 20.41 lakh beyond their known sources of income and concealment of information of assets worth Tk 3.88 lakh.