The New Nation - Internet Edition

Rafiqul Islam Azad

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is likely to submit the list of individuals who have so far been convicted by trial courts in corruption cases filed by the Commission on Sunday.

"The list of convicted persons has already been prepared. We will submit it to the Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday," said ACC Director General (Admn) Col Hanif Iqbal while talking to The New Nation.

The Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Coordination Committee (NCC) on Serious Crimes on October 13 asked the ACC to provide a list of persons so far been convicted by trial courts under emergency power rules.

The ACC DG said the trial courts have so far delivered judgments of 100 corruption cases filed by the Commission.

As per section 11(5) of the Emergency Power Rules-2007 the persons convicted under the rules cannot participate in the elections.

It is earlier reported that over one hundred persons convicted in different corruption cases under the state of emergency would not be able to contest the forthcoming general elections scheduled for December 18.

Most of the convicted persons include former ministers, MPs, political leaders, their family members, businessmen, bureaucrats and trade union leaders.

A total of 98 persons were convicted in different cases till August 10. Of them, 41 were from BNP while 25 from Awami League.

Meanwhile, ACC spokesman Col Hanif Iqbal told reporters that after investigation the Commission approved filing of final reports (FRT) to 121 cases, involving 250 persons, filed in different police station across the country.

Of the accused persons, 48 were former or existing UP chairmen, members, Pourasabha chairmen and commissioners, 16 were former ministers, state ministers and MPs, 42were government officials and employees and 144 from other professionals.

Chittagong City Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, former BNP minister Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, former AL minister Motia Chowdhury, former BNP lawmaker Asadul Habib Dulu, former Jamaat lawmaker Maulana Abdus Sobhan and Dr Syed Abdullah Md Taher, among others were accused in different cases.

Most of them, he said, accused for misappropriating of money and relief tins, taking bribe, misuse of power, money laundering and resorting to deception.

Col Hanif said the ACC approved filing charge sheets in seven corruption cases involving former state minister Salahuddin Ahmed, former MP Reza Ahmed Bacchu Mollah, Jalal Alamgir and Joy Alamgir, sons of former state minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir.

He said the ACC also approved issuance of notices to eight individuals, including detained former minister Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain's two sons and Chittagong City Mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury's wife, asking them to submit their wealth statements.

The others who will receive ACC notices are Syed Abdul Malek, private secretary (Retd) to former minister Mohammad Nasim, former acting superintending engineer of Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) Noor Hossain, his wife Monjil Ara, CDA assistant engineer Mohammad Ilyas and his wife Zannatul Mawa.

These individuals will have seven working days to submit their wealth statements to the Commission after receiving the notices.

The ACC spokesman said the Commission has so far referred 128 names to the Truth and Accountability Commission for considering their clemency applications and another 14 applications are under process.

Asked to comment on stay order on Barapukuria Coalmine case, Col Hanif said it is the desire of the court and the verdict has been abiding by the rules.

"We are ready to provide documents if necessary. We will abide by the verdict of the court in this regard," he said.