The government has cancelled certificates of about 182 fake freedom fighters’ [FF] after getting report from the National Security Intelligence [NSI]. The NSI is now conducting inquiry against the fake FF certificate holders.
The government has also decided to take tough action against five high-ranking government officials, including three incumbent secretaries, following Anti-Corruption Commission’s [ACC] probe report regarding their fake FF certificates. The government will also file cases against the fake FF certificate holders.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque made the disclosure while answering to a question from Selina Begum MP in the parliament on Thursday.
“The ministry will file cases against the fake freedom fighters. The process of identifying fake freedom fighters is a continuous process,” the Minister said.
He said, “The government is now examining the ACC probe report submitted on Wednesday evening. We will cancel the certificates of these government officials, who processed fake FF certificates, without considering their status.”
“The Ministry of Public Administration has got the power to take legal actions against those government officials. My ministry has no such authority,” he said. As per ACC probe report, the then State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Capt [Rtd] AB Tajul Islam abused his power to issue FF certificates illegally to five government officials. He had done this bypassing the relevant law and the Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad [BMS].
ACC sent the report to the Liberation War Ministry on September 8. It said the ministry cannot issue any FF certificate without the recommendation of the BMS. It is a violation of the Muktijoddha Council Act-2002.
The alleged five officials are: Public Service Commission Secretary AKM Amir Hossain, Health Secretary Niaz Uddin Mia, Privatisation Commission Chairman and former PMO secretary Mollah Waheeduzzaman, former Liberation War Affairs Ministry’s secretary KH Masud Siddiqui [now an OSD] and Joint Secretary of Liberation War Affairs ministry Abul Kashem Talukder [now an OSD].
