A DB team arrested the two Ministry staff and the Lakehead owner from the city’s Gulshan and Basila areas. Until Tuesday evening, law enforcers remained tight-lipped making the family members deeply worried. The Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Wednesday sent the three arrestees to jail rejecting their bail petition after the DB appealed to keep them in jail until an investigation officer of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is appointed. Earlier on Monday a case was filed against the trio on various charges with the concerned police station. Now, the ACC will probe the case as it is related to bribery.
According to the family members, Motaleb was picked up by plainclothes men on Saturday from the capital’s Basila while Nasir went missing from Banani on his way to his office on Thursday. Khaled had been missing since Saturday afternoon.
DB claimed that Nasir was detained in Gulshan with Tk 1.3 lakh in his possession. Motaleb was arrested from Basila following information gleaned from Nasir. Matin was held from Gulshan in another drive. But sources said an intelligence agency picked up the three and handed them over to police as it doesn’t have the authority to arrest anyone. This was the first time an intelligence agency detained Ministry officials over bribery, they added.
On November 7 last year, the Dhaka District Administration sealed off Dhanmondi and Gulshan branches of the school on allegations of patronising militancy and inspiring extremist views. The Supreme Court later ordered reopening the school with a new Board of Directors including military officials and the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner in the chair. On January 13, the school reopened.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said the three were arrested on “specific allegations”. Motaleb, whose monthly salary is Tk 30,000 to Tk 35,000, purchased a three-katha plot in West Dhanmondi Housing in Basila around 14 years back.
It is interesting as to how a Class 2 typist managed to become the personal officer of the Minister–couldn’t a Class 1 employee be found? How he got the appointment and how he managed to come so far are interesting questions as it is now known that there are allegations of bribery against him regarding transfer and promotion of education officials and teachers. If there were allegations against him from the very beginning then how come the Lakehead incident comes to light?
Once again it reflects the poor state of our governance–unless something serious comes up no action is taken against a government official. We have seen instances of these with the police and with public bank Chairmen like Abdul Hye Bachchu of BASIC Bank–no matter in what rank you are in, you seemingly can get away with it unless it is something extraordinarily serious.
Farmers Bank a notoriously dishonest and failed bank claiming money from government. The government is corruption-friendly and cannot punish the big ones.
