Staff Reporter :
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Secretary Mahbub Hossain has said that Sharif Uddin has been sacked on account of specific allegations brought against him.
He said there was no pressure of influential quarter behind sacking of Sharif Uddin.
Mahbub Hossain said that ACC had never bowed down to any power and will never.
ACC took decision free from powerful politician, musclemen and others’
influence, he added.
Secretary Mahbub Hossain alleged that one-sided news is being published in the media about sacking Sharif Uddin.
“Since the commission issued the order to remove Shariff Uddin, the print and electronic media are manufacturing stories. This news is being spread on the basis of one-sided information, which is contrary to the facts,” Mahbub Hossain said in a press conference on Sunday (20 February) on Sharif Uddin’s dismissal.
“Rule 54 (2) of the ACC (Employees) Employment Rules grants the organisation right to remove any employee without giving any reason,” he said.
Sharif Uddin was fired due to multiple allegations against him, said Mahbub.
He also noted that Sharif did not follow the ACC guidelines in investigation. “All the employees in charge of the investigation perform their duties fearlessly but they do not make any excuse like Sharif Uddin,” commented Mahbub.
On 16 February, the Anti-Corruption Commission suspended officer Sharif Uddin with immediate effect for his alleged involvement in various irregularities including torturing a CIP businessman in Cox’s Bazar by implicating him in a false case. Media reports on the suspension of Sharif Uddin, have generated a negative reaction both within the ACC and outside, including the forming of a human chain by the ACC employees protesting his removal.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), on 17 February, asked the ACC to clarify its stance on the recent issue of suspending Sharif Uddin.
The anti-graft body also raised question whether Shariff Uddin was sacked under pressure by any syndicate.
According to media reports, in Chattogram, Sharif Uddin unearthed corruption in land acquisition in Cox’s Bazar involving a huge amount of money, passport and NID forgery for the Rohingyas, and irregularities in Karnaphuli gas transmission. He was the key person in the drive against corruption in Chattogram and filed several cases. The official became unpopular with vested interest groups involved with several irregularities.
