The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has exempted 11 people, including Secretary of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, from the charge of plundering Tk 476 crore of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC).
The Commission took the decision in a routine meeting held on Tuesday. It is mentionable that three graft cases were filed with Chittagong Port Thana against them on October 16 in 2013, Public Relation Officer (PRO) said.
ACC Deputy Assistant Director Ali Akbar filed the cases.
Abu Bakar Siddique, also former Chairman of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and now Secretary of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Anwarul Karim, Additional Secretary and also former Secretary of BPC, AKM Zafrullah, former Secretary and Chairman of BPC, Major (retd) Muktadir Ali, former Chairman of BPC, and Mohammad Abdul Awal, former Deputy Managing Director of BPC
and now member of the Chittagong WASA were, among others, who have been exempted. ACC Commissioner Shahabuddin Chuppu told the journalists that the Commission receiving an allegation that the BPC embezzled the said money by importing fuel oil from Kuwait submitting extra bills. Then the ACC filed three cases against six persons, added he. It is mentionable that after investigation five other persons were included in the FIRs.
After scrutiny of the final investigation report, the Commission has taken the decision of exonerating them for lack of enough evidence, he said. On June 29 this year, ACC deputy director Jatan Kumar Roy submitted the final report in the commission and recommended for a charge sheet against them. Later, on August 24, a three-member team led by ACC Chairman M Badiuzzaman recorded the statements of five to alleged accused in the Commission headquarters.
