Mahabub Alam :
Two officials of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are coming to Dhaka to testify in a graft case lodged against former State Minister for Energy AKM Mosharaff Hossain and President of Niko Resources Ltd (Bangladesh) Kashem Sharif.
Loyed Scope and Grogary Prous are expected to testify in a Dhaka Special Judge Court of Judge Hosne Ara Begum on November 24, said ACC Special Public Prosecutor Rafiqul Islam Benu.
He said that the Canadian officials sent a letter to the Bangladesh Attorney General Office in this regard through Canadian Department of Justice a few months ago.
In the letter, they stated that they were interested in testifying in the court.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) receiving the letter gave the permission, he added.
ACC filed a case against the state minister and the president in February in 2012 with Shahbagh Thana on charge of giving and taking a luxurious Toyota Land Cruiser Car and $ 5 lakh as bribe.
ACC submitted the charge sheet against them in August the same year.
As the news of illegal transaction came to light, the sate minister resigned. Later RCMP and Bangladesh Petrobangla formed two separate committees.
Two committees with the ACC found the evidence of the kickback transaction.
In 2005, Niko Resources Ltd blasted two expulsions in Tengratila gas field, which caused a great loss.
The government demanded Tk 750 crore from the company as compensation. But it did not meet the demand.
The Niko, however, came under somewhat pressure later on. Two investigation committees in Bangladesh are of view that the company paid the state minister the money and delivered car to protect or to reduce the amount of compensation money.
In January 2014, the Canadian authorities sent a mutual legal assistance request to the ACC through the Attorney General Office, seeking permission to interrogate former Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman, former Foreign Minister Morshed Khan and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Energy Adviser Mahmudur Rahman in connection with Niko graft case. Saifur Rahman died in a road crash several years ago.
Two officials of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are coming to Dhaka to testify in a graft case lodged against former State Minister for Energy AKM Mosharaff Hossain and President of Niko Resources Ltd (Bangladesh) Kashem Sharif.
Loyed Scope and Grogary Prous are expected to testify in a Dhaka Special Judge Court of Judge Hosne Ara Begum on November 24, said ACC Special Public Prosecutor Rafiqul Islam Benu.
He said that the Canadian officials sent a letter to the Bangladesh Attorney General Office in this regard through Canadian Department of Justice a few months ago.
In the letter, they stated that they were interested in testifying in the court.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) receiving the letter gave the permission, he added.
ACC filed a case against the state minister and the president in February in 2012 with Shahbagh Thana on charge of giving and taking a luxurious Toyota Land Cruiser Car and $ 5 lakh as bribe.
ACC submitted the charge sheet against them in August the same year.
As the news of illegal transaction came to light, the sate minister resigned. Later RCMP and Bangladesh Petrobangla formed two separate committees.
Two committees with the ACC found the evidence of the kickback transaction.
In 2005, Niko Resources Ltd blasted two expulsions in Tengratila gas field, which caused a great loss.
The government demanded Tk 750 crore from the company as compensation. But it did not meet the demand.
The Niko, however, came under somewhat pressure later on. Two investigation committees in Bangladesh are of view that the company paid the state minister the money and delivered car to protect or to reduce the amount of compensation money.
In January 2014, the Canadian authorities sent a mutual legal assistance request to the ACC through the Attorney General Office, seeking permission to interrogate former Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman, former Foreign Minister Morshed Khan and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Energy Adviser Mahmudur Rahman in connection with Niko graft case. Saifur Rahman died in a road crash several years ago.
