Charge-sheet against Latif Siddiqui, others approved by ACC

block
Court Correspondent :
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday approved charge-sheet against two persons including former Jute and Textile Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui in a case filed for abuse of power and damaging government property.
The charge-sheet was issued for incurring a loss of Tk 40.69 lakh of the national exchequer through selling land of Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC). The other accused is Jahanara Rashid, wife of late Harunur Rashid. She hails from Katnarpara of Bogura town.
On October 17, 2017, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Assistant Director Md Aminul Islam filed the case with Adamdighi Police Station.
The case statement says that Jahanara Rashid took lease of a piece of a land in Adamdighi Upazila of Bogura, owned by Bangladesh Jute Corporation, for three years at Tk 1.20 lakh per year on May 13, 2010.
Instead of replying to repeated orders from the Textiles and Jute Ministry to pay the rent for 2.38 acre land, Jahanara applied to the Textile and Jute Ministry to purchase the land on November 13, 2011.
Without floating any formal tender, the then Textile and Jute Minister sold the land to Jahanara at Tk 23.94 lakh instead of its market price Tk 64.63 lakh, incurring a loss of Tk 40.69 lakh.
Later, ACC filed the case against Latif Siddiqui and Jahanara under sections 409 and 109 of the Penal Code and Section 5(2) of the Anti-Corruption Act 1947.
block