Chairman of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) M Badiuzzaman said that the ACC would take legal action against those involved with Liberation War honorary crest scam.
The chairman told the media men in his office in the city on Tuesday.
Not only former State Minister for Liberation War Affairs A B Tajul Islam, the
anti-graft body boss said, all the accused would be brought to the book if their involvement was found.
“We have waited for the report from the ministry’s probe committee. Since the committee report has disclosed the names of suspects, it will be easy for us to take action after investigation into the financial irregularities”, he said.
He said, the Commission formed a two-member team with ACC Deputy Director Mirza Zahidul Alam and Assistant Director Sheikh Abdus Salam as members to hold inquiry into the matter.
The government awarded crests to 338 foreign statesmen, politicians, philosophers, artists, writers, intellectuals, eminent citizens and organisations between 2011 and 2013 for their contributions to the Bangladesh’s Independence in 1971. But the crests supposed to have gold and silver reportedly contained 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. Earlier, a probe committee of Liberation War Affairs Ministry conducted an investigation 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 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.
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.
