'ACC wants to save Abul Hossain'

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) was trying to save former Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain even though he was reportedly involved in the Padma bridge project 'corruptions', the BNP alleged on Thursday.

bdnews24.com
Published : 6 Dec 2012, 01:04 PM
Updated : 6 Dec 2012, 01:04 PM

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) was trying to save former Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain even though he was reportedly involved in the Padma bridge project 'corruptions', the BNP alleged on Thursday.

The party's Acting Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the allegation a day after the World Bank panel to oversee ACC's investigation process left Dhaka. Media reports say that the three-member panel flew out on Wednesday following a 'fruitless' discussion with the ACC.

Fakhrul at a discussion said, "Now the Anti-Corruption Commission wants to drop Syed Abul Hossain's name from the list of corruptions that took place in the Padma bridge project. And that's why the World Bank panel has left with dissatisfaction."

Abul Hossain was removed from the Cabinet to fulfil the global lender's condition after it raised graft allegations on the project. The Bank had cancelled its pledged loan in June this year after the government failed to meet several other conditions, but announced its conditional return to the project in September.

However, ACC had formed an investigation committee to look into suspected allegations. The committee submitted a report on Tuesday recommending lawsuits against several people for a 'conspiracy' to exchange 'bribes' in the project, but ACC has declined to reveal any names.

The BNP leader criticised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for defending Hossain earlier.

"The Prime Minster had said that Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain was honest and a patriot. But now the ACC investigation committee's report has proved that he was the leader of the thieves," Fakhrul said.

"Until now, the Prime Minister and the ministers of the government have been claiming that no corruption took place in the Padma bridge. But the probe team's report has made it clear that corruption did take place in the project."

Mirza Fakhrul was speaking at the discussion to mark the day 'dictator HM Ershad regime's fall and revival of democracy' organised by BNP's Dhaka metropolitan unit on the street in front of the party headquarters at Naya Paltan.

During his speech, he also remembered the martyrs who gave their lives during the anti-Ershad movement.

The BNP Acting Secretary-General protested the government's 'oppression' on the opposition. "The government wants to divert the people's attention by filing false cases and delivering fake justice. But this will not do any good. The movement to revive the democracy cannot be stopped."

The main opposition party's metropolitan unit Member Secretary Abdus Salam presided over the discussion where BNP Standing Committee members Rafiqul Islam Mia, Mirza Abbas and Abul Moin Khan also spoke.