Staff Reporter :
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday decided to hold inquiry into the Liberation War Honorary Crest scandal.
It will assign needed officers to look into the matter shortly, said ACC PRO.
The government awarded crests to a number of foreign statesmen, politicians, philosophers, artistes, writers, intellectuals, eminent
citizens and organisations for their contributions to the Bangladesh’s War of Independence in 1971 against Pakistanis. During 2011 to 2013, the government honoured 338 foreign individuals and organisations. But the crests, which were supposed to contain gold and silver reportedly had brass, copper and zinc-mixed-alloy to a great extent and, thus, several crores of taka were misappropriated.
The crests contained also normal wood instead of selected ‘Oakwood,’ for frames and boxes, as reported by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) after test. Such dishonesty has also tarnished the country’s image abroad, said an official of ACC. Earlier, a probe committee of Liberation War Affairs Ministry conducted an investigation in this regard and found the evidence of irregularities committed by 13 people and two manufacturing institutions, including the ministry’s former state minister A B Tajul Islam, who himself is a freedom fighter.
Additional Secretary of the ministry and Crest Committee Head Golam Mostofa was made Officer on Special Duty after the scandal was brought to light. The anti-graft watchdog will collect the investigation report from the ministry.
Liberation War Affairs Ministry Secretary Mizanur Rahman, its former Secretary K M Masud Siddique, Joint-Secretary Abul Kashem, Deputy Secretary Enamul Quader Khan and Senior Secretary Babul Mia are among the accused, according to the investigation report of the probe committee.
On condition of anonymity a senior officer of the ACC said that the ACC would try to complete the investigation shortly in the greater interest of the country.
