Former PMO secretary Molla Waheeduzzaman’s freedom fighter certificate finally cancelled

The government has finally cancelled the freedom-fighter certificate of former PMO secretary Molla Waheeduzzaman, now Chairman of the Privatization Commission, and the corresponding gazette notification.

The National Freedom-Fighters Council decided to cancel the certificate and gazette of the Privatization Commission chairman enjoying the rank of a state minister, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq told bdnews24.com on Sunday.

 

The minister said the council had cancelled the certificates of three secretaries but had suspended that of Waheeduzzaman and the gazette on it following recommendation by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

 

He said the council dismissed Waheeduzzaman’s appeal against the suspension on his certificate and the gazette. 

 

He said a gazette regarding the cancellation of Waheeduzzaman’s freedom-fighter certificate would be issued ‘soon’.

The decision would be conveyed to Waheeduzzaman by post, he added.

The government, on Sept 22 last year, had cancelled the certificates of the then health secretary Niaz Uddin Miah, Public Service Commission's secretary AKM Amir Hossain, former Liberation War affairs secretary KH Masud Siddique, currently OSD (officer on special duty), and the same ministry's Joint Secretary Abul Kasem Talukder, also a OSD at present.

Waheeduzzaman’s certificate was stayed as, according to Minister Huq, he had completed four of the five steps towards getting the certificate, but published a gazette on it.

The ACC recommended the cancellation of the certificates when it found in an investigation that the five officials resorted to ‘illegal means’ to get them.