Staff Reporter :
The Anti-Corruption Commission has appointed new lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan to deal with its cases as its former lawyer Barrister Anisul Haque has already been made minister.
The commission appointed Khurshid Alam on Monday, cancelling the appointment of Anisul Haque who was engaged in the case on February 7, 2008.
There is widespread speculation that the new ACC lawyer would take initiatives to revive the pending cases against the political leaders including BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
According to media reports, the ACC has already started a move over the seven-year-old Global Agro Trade Pvt Co Ltd [GATCO] corruption case against Khaleda Zia. It also prayed to the High Court to start hearing a rule in which it questioned the legality of filing the case under the emergency power rules of 2007, the media reported.
When contacted, Chairman of ACC M Badiuzzman told The New nation on Tuesday night, “We have appointed a new lawyer [Khurshid Alam Khan] to deal with the cases, because our former legal adviser Barrister Anisul Haque has been made minister. It’s a routine job.”
The ACC Chief, however, denied about taking any attempt to revive GATCO case against Khaleda Zia.
Sources said the newly appointed ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam has been asked to take step for speedy disposal of a writ petition filed in 2007 by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Khaleda filed the writ petition in September 2007 challenging the legality of invoking GATCO corruption case against her under the emergency power rule.
Especially, the appointment of new ACC lawyer came two days after Khaleda was named as abettor in two police cases under the Special Powers Act and the Penal Code for injuring at least 29 people in an arson attack on a moving bus at Demra in the city on January 23.
In September 2007, the High Court, after hearing Khaleda’s writ petition, stayed the proceedings of the case against her, her son Arafat Rahman and other individuals for allegedly awarding a container handling contract to an inept private firm, GATCO, by taking Tk 22 million in kickback.
