DHAKA, 4 January 2005 — In a major move in the New Year, the newly-constituted Anti-Corruption Commission has asked 13 secretaries of the government of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia to explain to the commission within four days about 1,028 missing cars belonging to their ministries, which must have been deposited to the Central Transport Pool, on completion of development projects for which these were purchased.
The notices were served on the secretaries, including the Ministries of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Education, Primary and Mass Education, Agriculture, Health, Information, Establishment, Finance and Planning, Youth, Social Welfare, Economic Relations Division, and Telecommunications, an ACC official told newsmen in Dhaka yesterday.
The luxury cars were purchased with government money for use in different development projects, and those have been under alleged disposal of high officials of the concerned ministries even after completion of the projects, although the vehicles were supposed to be returned to the CTP under the Ministry of Establishment.
Earlier, a committee, headed by a senior official of the Prime Minister’s Office, formed in April last year, could recover only 176 cars in 18-month duration of the probe body. The prices of the missing motor cars are estimated to be 2,000 million taka.
The Commission also took up a number of other corruption cases for investigation in phases. The cases include the open market sale of rice worth 100 million taka after unloading from Mongla Port and a case against an official of Dhaka City Corporation for alleged defalcation of the corporation’s money.
The ACC can initiate suo moto investigation into any case of malpractice, but it must formulate the rules to apply the power of trial of any person found guilty for any corrupt practice.
An ACC source alleged that without placing before the president for his approval, the Cabinet Division is still sitting on the rules, sent to it by the commission some weeks ago. The commission is still unable to begin its routine functions including investigation, framing of charges and trial of corruption cases in absence of the rules.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Division is trying to withhold the salary and allowances of the officials and staff of the erstwhile Bureau of Anti-Corruption, who have been absorbed in the Commission, till the rules are framed.
