The Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday arrested former Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha chairman Iqbal Uddin Chowdhury and Partex Group director Shawkat Aziz in a case over plot forgery.
ACC sleuths led by director Syed Iqbal Hossain arrested Iqbal Uddin, also a former secretary at his Paribagh residence and Shawkat at his gulshan residence, ACC secretary Abu M Mustafa Kamal said.
Shawkat is son of Partex Group chairman and former MP MA Hashem.
Kamal said that efforts were on to arrest six other accused in the case.
He said that the ACC filed the case against the eight accused with the Motijheel police station Wednesday night.
Five of the accused are former Rajuk members SD Faiz, AKM Wahidul Islam, SM Zafarullah, HM Jahurul Haque and M Rezaul Karim Tarafder.
Brother of Shawkat, accused Ashfak Aziz Rubel is a director of the City Bank.
The first information report alleges that in 2004, the Rajuk board, by misusing its powers, allotted separate 10-katha plots to Shawkat Aziz and his brother Rubel Aziz.
It states that in August 2001, Shawkat and Rubel separately applied for two
10-katha plots at Purbachal Housing Project and each of them deposited Tk 1.5 lakh to Rajuk and later withdrew their money as they did not get the plots in the 1st phase in which 32,000 applicants were allotted plots.
It states that the authorities canceled the applications of the both the siblings after they withdrew their money.
And though they did not apply afresh, says the FIR, the then Rajuk board at its meeting held on June 1, 2004 took the decision to allot separate 10-katha plots to Shawkat and Rubel for which they made fresh deposits with 17 per cent interest.
The ACC filed the case after finding that the whole decision was unlawful.
At that time BNP was in power and MA Hashem was its MP.
On Thursday, the court of the chief metropolitan magistrate in the capital sent Iqbal and Shawkat to jail after rejecting their bail petitions and the ACC’s prayers to take them into remand for seven days.
They were produced in the court by ACC deputy assistant director Silvia Ferdous, who investigated the case.
After rejecting both the pleas, magistrate Saittabratta Shikder ordered the ACC to question Shawkat for two days at the jail gate within five working days.
Iqbal Uddin was Rajuk chairman from 2001 to 2004 and later he was housing and public works ministry secretary.
The army-backed caretaker government which ruled the country for two years since 2007 had sent Iqbal Uddin to jail for his alleged irregularities.
On January 5, ACC chairman Iqbal Mahmood told a news briefing that 2017 will be a ‘harsh year’ for the corrupt with the ACC showing zero-tolerance to them.
Since Iqbal Mahmood took charge in March 2016, the ACC arrested at least 380 people for their alleged involvement in corruption across the country.
ACC sleuths led by director Syed Iqbal Hossain arrested Iqbal Uddin, also a former secretary at his Paribagh residence and Shawkat at his gulshan residence, ACC secretary Abu M Mustafa Kamal said.
Shawkat is son of Partex Group chairman and former MP MA Hashem.
Kamal said that efforts were on to arrest six other accused in the case.
He said that the ACC filed the case against the eight accused with the Motijheel police station Wednesday night.
Five of the accused are former Rajuk members SD Faiz, AKM Wahidul Islam, SM Zafarullah, HM Jahurul Haque and M Rezaul Karim Tarafder.
Brother of Shawkat, accused Ashfak Aziz Rubel is a director of the City Bank.
The first information report alleges that in 2004, the Rajuk board, by misusing its powers, allotted separate 10-katha plots to Shawkat Aziz and his brother Rubel Aziz.
It states that in August 2001, Shawkat and Rubel separately applied for two
10-katha plots at Purbachal Housing Project and each of them deposited Tk 1.5 lakh to Rajuk and later withdrew their money as they did not get the plots in the 1st phase in which 32,000 applicants were allotted plots.
It states that the authorities canceled the applications of the both the siblings after they withdrew their money.
And though they did not apply afresh, says the FIR, the then Rajuk board at its meeting held on June 1, 2004 took the decision to allot separate 10-katha plots to Shawkat and Rubel for which they made fresh deposits with 17 per cent interest.
The ACC filed the case after finding that the whole decision was unlawful.
At that time BNP was in power and MA Hashem was its MP.
On Thursday, the court of the chief metropolitan magistrate in the capital sent Iqbal and Shawkat to jail after rejecting their bail petitions and the ACC’s prayers to take them into remand for seven days.
They were produced in the court by ACC deputy assistant director Silvia Ferdous, who investigated the case.
After rejecting both the pleas, magistrate Saittabratta Shikder ordered the ACC to question Shawkat for two days at the jail gate within five working days.
Iqbal Uddin was Rajuk chairman from 2001 to 2004 and later he was housing and public works ministry secretary.
The army-backed caretaker government which ruled the country for two years since 2007 had sent Iqbal Uddin to jail for his alleged irregularities.
On January 5, ACC chairman Iqbal Mahmood told a news briefing that 2017 will be a ‘harsh year’ for the corrupt with the ACC showing zero-tolerance to them.
Since Iqbal Mahmood took charge in March 2016, the ACC arrested at least 380 people for their alleged involvement in corruption across the country.
source; new age
