The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has launched a probe against former secretary of Housing and Public Works Ministry Dr Khondaker Showkat Hossain on charge of taking government plots abusing power.
The Commission has already appointed its deputy director Jatan Kumar Roy to carry out inquiry into his alleged graft.
According to official sources, Dr Showkat Hossain, (now Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment secretary) has reportedly taken three plots against the names of his family members abusing his power when he was the Housing and Public Works Ministry secretary.
As per the rules of Rajuk (Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha), husband and wife cannot be owners of its separate plots, but Showkat Hossain has taken three plots from government quota in his name and that of his wife, Dr Aysha Begum, and mother.
According to the allegation received by the anti-graft body, the secretary had been allocated a 5-katha plot in city’s Uttara sector No 10.
He bought another 5-katha plot in Uttra third phase project in his mother’s name. Later, changing the plot he took new one in Goribea Newaz Avenue of Uttra sector No 11, putting pressure on Rajuk.
Dr Aysha Begum took a 7.5-katha plot at Purbachal New City Project in 2005 and after taking charge of the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry as secretary, Dr Showkat turned the plot into 10 katha one. Later, he even extended it into a 12.5-katha abusing his power.
ACC sources said the graft watchdog sent notices to Rajuk seeking documents of plot allocations to Showkat. But Rajuk has only sent documents of one plot to the Commission.
The Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment secretary will also face another probe as the ACC on February 6 decided to launch probes against some secretaries, including Showkat, and top officials of the government who took freedom fighter (FF) certificates prior to their retirement.
However, the Commission has not yet appointed inquiry officials to ascertain how the government officials obtained the freedom fighter certificates just ahead of their retirement although they never claimed themselves to be freedom fighters when they had joined the government service.
According to the allegation received by the Commission, Health Secretary M Neazuddin Miah, Liberation War Affairs Secretary KH Masud Siddiqui, Science and Technology secretary AKM Amir Hossain, former secretary to PMO Molla Waheeduzzaman, Dr Khondakar Showkat Hossain and joint secretary of Liberation War Affairs Abul Quasem Talukdar, among others, took freedom fighter certificates, including their names, in the gazette over the last coupe of months.
Source: UNBConnect
