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| Bangladesh |
| ACC deadline ends today |
| 2007-02-25 |
| Only 5 out of 50 submit wealth statement The 72-hour deadline for submissions of wealth statements by 50 corruption suspects to the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) expires at 5:00pm today with only five of them so far complying with the order. If any listed suspect fails to submit his or her wealth statement to the anti-graft commission within the deadline, movable and immovable properties of that person will be confiscated, according to the summons signed by ACC Secretary Delwar Hossain. Delwar Hossain on Thursday told newsmen that some of the listed suspects received the summons late, so the commission might extend the deadline for them till 12 noon or 1:00pm Monday. Former BNP lawmaker Rashiduzzaman Millat and former Jamaat lawmaker Shajahan Chowdhury submitted their wealth statements on Tuesday. Awami League Presidium Member and former state minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Jamuna Group Chairman Nurul Islam Babul, and Sonali Bank CBA President BM Bakir Hossain submitted their statements on Thursday. Borhanuddin Khan Jahangir submitted his brother Alamgir's statement, as he is in jail. The ACC on February 18 had published the first list of 50 corruption suspects, mostly politicians from BNP and Awami League and sent them summons the following day directing them to submit their wealth statements within 72 hours of receiving the notice. Those in jail were served notices through the inspector general (prison) while the ACC sent the notices through its own couriers to the remaining suspects at their most updated addresses. According to the ACC directive, the suspects who are not arrested will have to submit their statements appearing at the ACC in person and those who are already detained will have to submit theirs through legal representatives. Despite the summons being served on February 19, it took quite a while for the deadline to arrive as Wednesday, Friday and Saturday were national and weekly holidays. The newly appointed ACC Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury, and the two commissioners will assume their offices today. Despite the 72-hour deadline expiring today, it is not clear whether the suspects who have yet to submit their wealth statements are going to go to the ACC in person at all, as intelligence officials arrested Jamuna Group Chairman Nurul Islam soon after he had come out of the ACC on Thursday. Besides, mystery shrouds the reported arrest of CBA leader BM Bakir Hossain as conflicting versions of the incident are being reported. The lawyer of controversial businessman Giasuddin Al Mamun's brother and former BNP lawmaker Hafiz Ibrahim went to the ACC on Tuesday and said Hafiz Ibrahim might submit his wealth statement on Thursday. However, he did not show up on Thursday. |
| Posted by:Fred |