The inquiry officials of the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) will visit the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday to collect the affidavits of six politicians, including former ministers and MPs, for carrying out probes into their alleged graft.
“We’re still waiting to receive the affidavits from the EC. If the EC doesn’t send the affidavits of politicians by today, we’ll visit the EC on Sunday,” an ACC inquiry officer told UNB wishing anonymity.
On January 23 last, the ACC sent letters to the EC seeking the affidavits of six politicians they submitted to the EC before the 9th and 10th parliamentary polls for probing the allegations of unusual wealth accumulations by them.
In response to the anti-graft body’s request, the EC on January 28 decided to send the affidavits of the politicians to the ACC, but the EC is yet to receive those.
The six politicians are former Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque, former State Minister for Water Resources Mahbubur Rahman and former State Minister for Housing and Public Works Abdul Mannan Khan, and Abdur Rahman Bodi, MP, (Ukhia-Teknaf), Aslamul Haque, MP, (Dhaka-14) and Abdul Jabbar, former MP, (Satkhira-2).
The graft watchdog has started investigation into their movable and immovable property in the first phase after media reports citing their unusual wealth surge after tallying their affidavits they submitted before the last two national elections in 2008 and 2014.
As per the affidavits of candidates submitted to the EC for the last 10th parliamentary polls, the wealth of 48 candidates have increased by 363 percent in the last five years while that of ministers by 247 percent; state ministers by 459 percent; and deputy leader of parliament, chief whip and whip by 1,689 percent; the Prime Minister by 46 percent and deputy speaker by 238 percent.
Source: UNB Connect