The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

A court in Dhaka on Thursday issued warrants of arrest of against 12 'absconding' accused in the GATCO scam case, including six former ministers of the immediate past BNP-led four-party alliance Government but the warrants are yet to be served.

The ministers include M Saifur Rahman, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, MK Anwar, M Shamsul Islam and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury of BNP, and Jamaat Ameer Maulana Motiur Rahman Nizami.

Confusion persists over the arrest of high-profile accused in the case as most of the wanted leaders are staying in their residences till yesterday but are being identified as absconders.

The accused have been charged with misuse of power in awarding a container-handling deal to the company and caused a loss of Tk 14.56 crore to the national exchequer.

But initially in the first information report (FIR) it was alleged that the national exchequer incurred a loss of over Tk 1,000 crore for awarding the work to GATCO.

Though there were reports that the warrant orders reached respective police stations-Ramna, Gulshan and New Market-the officers-in-charge of those police stations told The New Nation that they were yet to receive the warrants of arrest till last night.

Meanwhile, informed source said four former cabinet ministers-- Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, MK Anwar, M Shamsul Islam and Motiur Rahman Nizami-are likely to move the High Court today for bail in the case.

Of the accused shown as absconders M Saifur Rahman and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury are now outside the country.

Counsel for the accused are examining the pros and cons of the case.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on May 13 submitted charge-sheet to the CMM court against detained ex-PM Khaleda Zia, her son Arafat Rahman Koko and 22 others, including eight former ministers, in the GATCO graft case.

Of the 24 charge-sheeted accused, 12, including the detained former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and her youngest son Arafat Rahman Koko were shown arrested in the case.