ACC director investigating colleague is accused of professional misconduct

Sheikh Md Fanafillah, the Anti-Corruption Commission director who prosecuted his colleague Enamul Basir and Deputy Inspector General of Police Mizanur Rahman a year ago on bribery charges, now faces similar accusations.

The national anti-graft watchdog has launched a departmental investigation into allegations that Fanafillah had committed professional misconduct by giving an accused person unethical facilities during questioning, even though Fananfillah was not involved in the investigation.

Fanafillah claims he had only helped the accused on humanitarian grounds considering his illness.

The accused, Md Ruhul Amin, the managing director of Saif Powertec Limited, appeared at the commission’s headquarters in Dhaka on Sept 24 to face quizzing on charges of making tens of millions of takas by influencing government agencies to get jobs. Amin also faces charges of acquiring wealth and laundering money.

When he arrived at the ACC headquarters, Fanafillah welcomed him and took him to his room, an official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media on the issue.

Fanafillah also asked ACC Assistant Director Muhammad Joynal Abedin to quiz Amin at Fanafillah’s office, though the ACC has separate rooms for the questioning.

When Joynal informed his superior officer about the matter, he was ordered to finish the questioning in the designated room.

Anti-Corruption Commission

Fanafillah entered the room in the middle of the quizzing without the investigator’s permission and took Amin to his own room.

Joynal informed the ACC about the matter in a written complaint.

The ACC then asked Fanafillah to explain his position about the complaint and later launched the departmental investigation into charges of hurting the ACC’s image and professional misconduct on Oct 13.

“We are social beings. We have some social commitments. And so, I took a sick person to my room. He would have left without giving a statement had I not brought him to my room. Have I done wrong?” asked Fanafillah.

Ruhul Amin could not be contacted for comment as his mobile phone was unreachable.