Tk 1.72 Crore Graft Cases
2 officials relieved of charges after admitting fault to Truth Commission
Hasibur Rahman Bilu, Bogra
An executive engineer of LGED and a retired superintending engineer of Roads and Highways Department (RHD) got relieved of two corruption cases involving Tk 1.72 crore as they admitted their guilt to the Truth Commission and deposited Tk 22 lakh as per its directive.
The two persons are LGED Executive Engineer Sarder Anisur Rahman Rana and retired superintending engineer of RHD Habibur Rahman.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on May 13 last year filed two cases with Shibganj Police Station accusing the two government officials of embezzling Tk over 1.72 crore by preparing false projects in collaboration with former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s assignment officer Dr Feroz Mahmud Iqbal during the BNP-led four-party rule.
After the cases were filed, Sarder Anisur Rahman Rana and Habibur Rahman filed appeals with the Truth Commission seeking acquittal from the cases.
The Commission received Tk 20 lakh from Anisur Rahman Rana and Tk two lakh from Habibur Rahman and acquitted them of the allegations. The Commission also acquitted them of accusations of earning illegal wealth.
Rangpur LGED training unit Executive Engineer Rana said over cell phone on Monday that the Truth Commission directed him to deposit Tk 20 lakh to the government exchequer. He deposited the money and he was acquitted of the two corruption cases in mid-December last year.
The accusation of earning illegal wealth worth about Tk one crore against him, which the ACC was investigating, has also been suspended.
Former SE of RHD Bogra Circle Habibur Rahman got acquitted of the charges against him by depositing Tk 2 lakh in the government exchequer. Habibur Rahman said the investigation into the allegation against him of earning illegal wealth worth about Tk 25 lakh has also been suspended. Habibur Rahman spent Tk 2.20 lakh more than proposed expenditure in a few road development projects under the Circle during the four-party alliance rule.
Habibur Rahman admitted the allegations and said he gave the extra money to the ruling party contractors under the pressure of the BNP leaders.
ACC Assistant Director Abdul Baset, who investigated the two cases, said alongside preparing false projects Dr Feroz Mahmud Iqbal got some infrastructures constructed at his private land at his village home Aliahat under Shibganj upazila using government money.
Fuel worth Tk 73 thousand was bought for a car of a school established after the name of Dr Feroz Mahmud’s mother between June 2005 and November 2006, Baset said. The case also alleged that Anisur Rahman Rana while working as the executive engineer of Bogra gave Tk 1.33 crore in cash to Dr Firoz Mahmud Iqbal.
Courtesy: thedailystar.net
