JS body for legal action against Matin

A parliamentary sub-committee yesterday said it will recommend legal actions against former shipping adviser Maj Gen (retd) MA Matin, as it has ‘clear evidence of corruption’ against him.
The sub-committee formed to investigate alleged corruption by MA Matin during the immediate past caretaker emergency regime, also changed its earlier position for summoning the former adviser in front of it.
“We have clear evidence that former adviser Matin awarded the job of container handling of Chittagong Port to Ishak Brothers, and committed corruption in the process,” Mohammad Shah Alam, chief of the four-member sub-committee told The Daily Star after a committee meeting.
“The sub-committee thinks there is no necessity to hear the former adviser’s version of things, as officials of the ministry concerned, and the chairman of Chittagong Port gave clear evidence of wrongdoings by former adviser Matin,” Shah Alam added.
“We will recommend to the main committee that stern legal actions be taken against the former adviser,” said the probe body chief.
Meanwhile, Matin denied any irregularity in awarding the contract to Ishak Brothers.
But, Shah Alam yesterday said, “The Chairman of Chittaging Port Authority Reazuddin Ahmed gave evidence to today’s sub-committee meeting that Matin forced them to prepare necessary papers for awarding the container handling job to Ishak Brothers, although the company was non-responsive in the tender process.”
He also said the sub-committee is likely to submit its recommendations to the main committee which is scheduled to meet on July 30 to finalise the report with the final recommendation.
Ruling Awami League lawmakers Shamsul Haq Chowdhury and Nazrul Islam, and BNP’s Mostofa Kamal Pasha are the other members of the probe body.
On June 29, Sheikh Motahar Hossain, the then shipping secretary who is now a member of the Privatisation Commission, Acting Shipping Secretary Masud Elahi, Senior Assistant Secretary to the Shipping Ministry Sharif Mohammad Masud, and Assistant Traffic Control Officer of Chittagong Port Omar Farukh, alleged to the sub-committee that Matin committed corruption in awarding the job to Ishak Brothers.
The parliamentary body was also told by Masud Elahi that the erstwhile shipping adviser also unilaterally increased the age limit for shipping pilots to 60 from 57, ignoring government service rules.

Courtesy of The Daily Star