Staff Reporter :
A special court in Dhaka has given permission to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to impose a travel ban upon eight persons including former central bank Deputy Governor SK Sur Chowdhury and incumbent Executive Director (ED) Shah Alam.
Allegations are under investigations against them for assisting PK Halder in embezzling and laundering huge amount of public money from some non-banking financial institutions.
Advocate Mir Ahmed Ali Salam, a panel lawyer of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), said senior special judge KM Imrul Kayesh passed the order on March 25 this year considering a petition filed by the Investigation Officer and Deputy Director of the ACC Gulshan Anwar Prodhan.
The lawyer said the investigation officer of the ACC recently sought permission from the court to impose the travel ban upon SK Sur Chowdhury, Shah Alam and six of their family members on the ground that they might leave the country any time.
Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan, another panel lawyer of the ACC, said the ACC will issue a notification in this regard any time.
Delivering verdict on a writ petition, the High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur
Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman on March 16 observed that a specific law or rule is needed soon regarding imposition of embargo on corruption suspects or accused from leaving the country.
There is no specific law or rule to ban people, against whom inquiries and investigations are underway in connection with corruption allegations, from leaving the country though they have rights to free movement according to the constitution, the court said.
For this reason, as long as no law or regulation is being enacted on the ban on leaving the country for the corruption suspects, permission has to be sought from the concerned special judge court, also observed the HC.
Meanwhile, another Bench of the High Court on March 15 this year wanted to know as to why SK Sur Chowdhury and Shah Alam have not been arrested yet for assisting PK Halder in embezzling and laundering huge amount of public money from four non-banking financial institutions.
If the Anti-Corruption Commission does not take steps to arrest them, the court will be forced to issue an order in this regard, said the High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim while hearing on a Suo Moto (voluntary move) ruling.
In one stage of the hearing, the court wanted to know from the ACC lawyer as to what steps have been taken against the persons whose names came into the confessional statement given by two close associates of P K Halder including the duo.
Addressing the ACC, the High Court observed, “If there is a complaint against someone, you cannot show hospitality to him. You must take him in custody.”
