The government has not acted against several secretaries who forged their freedom-fighter certificates even 20 days after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) recommended actions against them.
The Ministry of Public Administration, too, is not making it clear whether administrative measures will be taken against these four secretaries and a joint secretary.
“We have done our part,” ACC Commissioner Shahabuddin Chuppu told bdnews24.com. “It’s their (public administration ministry) call now.”
The national corruption watchdog forwarded its recommendations against five top officials to the public administration and liberation war affairs ministries on Sept 9.
Five days later, the government decided to revoke the fake-freedom certificates and relevant gazettes of Health Secretary Niaz Uddin Miah, Public Service Commission Secretary AKM Amir Hossain, former PMO Secretary Molla Waheeduzzaman, now chairman of the Privatisation Commission, former Liberation War Affairs Secretary KH Masud Siddique, currently OSD (officer on special duty), and the same ministry’s Joint Secretary Abul Kasem Talukder, also an OSD now.
As per government rule, the public administration ministry is supposed to file a criminal case against these five officials apart from taking administrative steps.
On Sept 18, public administration’s Senior Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury said they were waiting for the orders of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs.
Four days later, the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs issued an order putting on hold Waheeduzzaman’s certificate and cancelling certificates and gazettes of the other four. It sent a letter to public administration.
“We haven’t made any headway,” Secretary Chowdhury told bdnews24.com on Sunday.
Responding to a query, he said no decision had been taken yet to show-cause the officials.
“I can’t tell you anything else at this moment.”
Health Secretary Miah is currently in the US as part of the prime minister’s entourage.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Muzammel Hoque has defended Miah’s inclusion saying the prime minister does not personally finalise entourage for a foreign visit and who will go is settled two months before the tour.
Hasina left for New York on Sept 21 and it is unclear why no last minute changes were made in her 184-strong entourage.
Haque had earler said his ministry would file cases against the fraud secretaries if the public administration did not.
But no such step is visible.
ACC Commissioner Chuppu said the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs had followed their recommendations and now it was up to the Ministry of Public Administration to make a move.
A public administration official, on condition of anonymity, said they had prepared a summary on the five officials for the prime minister.
Chuppu said the matter was out of the ACC’s hand.
“We can do nothing if the government does not take any steps against these officials,” he said.
Source: bdnews24
