The New Nation - Internet Edition

Court Correspondent

Senior Metropolitan Special Judge of Dhaka yesterday issued warrants of arrest against nine accuseds including former ministers M Saifur Rahman, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, Barrister Aminul Haq and former State Minister for Energy A K M Mosharraf Hossain in the Barapukuria Coal Mine graft case.

Other five absconding accuseds are: former acting secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Nazrul Islam, former Petrobangla Chairman SR Osmani, former Petrobangla Director Mainul Ahsan, former Managing Director of Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Limited (BCMCL) Sirajul Islam and Hosaf Group Chairman Moazzem Hossain.

Dhaka's Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Azizul Hoque also ordered submission of report on arrest to the court by October 12. Following the order two accuseds of the case, former Ministers detained Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and detained Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, will be produced before the court while other five ministers who have meanwhile been granted bail will have to appear before the court on the next scheduled date.

They are former Premier Khaleda Zia, former Ministers Moulana Matiur Rahman Nizami, M K Anwar, M Shamsul Islam and Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan.

It has been learnt that Jamaat's Secretary General and former minister Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid had been granted bail in this case from the High Court Division of the Supreme Court. But following that bail order necessary action was not completed in the concerned lower court.

Meanwhile, warrant orders have been sent to the respective police stations for quick execution. Before that, some media people were perhaps, eager to know whether the orders of arrest were duly despatched.

ACC's investigation officer (IO) Abul Kashem Fakir submitted the charge sheet against the 16 accuseds to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka on Sunday in the evening. The case has been sent to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court yesterday in the afternoon.

The case was filed with Shahbagh Police Station of the city on February 26 this year accusing the former ministers and bureaucrats of irregularities and corruption in awarding the production, management and maintenance work of Barapukuria Coal Mine to a Chinese firm. The charge sheet says, the contract with the Chinese firm consortium of China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) caused loss of about Taka 159 crore to the national exchequer.