Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has become tougher in taking action against the corrupt and criminals irrespective of their identity. As part of the government’s move, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is now preparing a list of the corrupt persons, including tender manipulators, land grabbers and dishonest government service holders at the district and upazila levels.
As part of the cleansing drives, the ACC authorities have appointed intelligence officials in 22 districts and 155 upazilas. Sources in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s crusade against corruption, tender manipulation, extortion and grabbing across the country will be intensified further.
As the ruling Awami League is not against any particular individual, it has adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption in order to achieve people’s trust on her government. A high ranking official of the ACC said, newly appointed intelligence officials, who will gather information about bribery and corruption, will forward their intelligence to the ACC Headquarters. The ACC then will go into action against them.
ACC Chairman Iqbal Mahmood in this regard said that the intelligence system will help information gathering process and to conduct drives against the corrupt and criminals as well. “None of the corrupt and criminals will be spared, whoever he is not a matter”, said the ACC boss. Earlier on January 6, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina warned against the corrupt and criminals saying that the corrupt elements will not be spared. She also vowed to keep the cleansing drives on.
It should be mentioned that the state anti-graft body had launched a cleansing drive against money launderers, owners of illegal wealth, corrupt business persons and contractors, illegal casino business and other types of criminals. In the drives, the ACC had netted 693 corrupt and criminals, who belonged to different political parties, including the ruling Awami League and many of its front organisations, present and former government officials, contractors and businessmen.
Of them, names of Ismail Hossain Somrat, Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan, GK Shamim, Lokman Hossain and Selim Prodhan could be mentioned. Besides, bank accounts have been frozen and travel bans were imposed against several ruling party lawmakers including Nur-un-Nobi Chowdhury Shaon, Shamsul Huq Chowdhury, immediate past Jubo League chairman Omar Faryuq Chowdhury, Swechchhsebok League President Molla Md Abu Kawsar, General Secretary Pankaj Devnath, Jubo League leader Ismail Hossain Chowdhury Samrat, Dhaka City Ward Councillors Mominul Huq Sayeed, Habibur Rahman Mizan, Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan, Mohamedan Sporting Club Director Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan, Kalabagan Crira Chakra president Shafiqul Islam Firoz, Jubo League leaders Kazi Anisur Rahman, Mizanur Rahman Bakul, Awami League leadr Enamul Huq Enu, his brother Rupam Bhuiyan, contractor GK Shamim, former PWD chief engineer Rafiqul Islam and present additional chief engineer Abdul Hye, mafia don Aziz Mohammad Bhai, their family members and business organisations. As part of the drives, all the casinos have been shut down.
In the latest updates, a women leader of Jubo League named Papiya has also been arrested recently. The ACC and different agencies of the government are now going into action against those who are linked with Papiya and her crime ring. Moreover, the government did not spare a ruling party lawmaker (Dhaka-14) named Aslamul Huq as he had grabbed 15 acres area of the main channel at the confluence of the Buriganga and Turag rivers, and 5 acres of a Buriganga offshoot in Chawrashpur and constructed two building of his Maisha power plant-- the Dhaka North Power Plant and Dhaka West Power Plant.
All of his structures have been demolished in his presence. Aslamul accompanied with around 100 of his associates rushed to the spot and became furious and asked the BIWTA team to stop demolishing. But the magistrate did not respond to him and continued demolishing the structures constructed illegally.
