Mahmudur sued for not submitting wealth report

Staff Correspondent, The Daily Star

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=142608

The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday filed a case against detained former chairman of Board of Investment Mahmudur Rahman for not submitting his wealth statement to the commission.

The accused has committed punishable offence under the ACC act, as he did not submit wealth statement within the stipulated time after receiving a notice from the anti-graft body, said the first information report (FIR) of the case.

ACC Deputy Director Nur Ahamad filed the case with Gulshan Police Station last night.

“We have no other choice but to lodge the case against Mahmudur Rahman for non-submission of the wealth statement,” ACC Chairman Ghulam Rahman told The Daily Star.

“Mahmudur Rahman tried to use justice system to evade law. If we do not file a case against him now, other people might use his path instead of submitting wealth statement. It might make the anti-graft body dysfunctional,” Rahman added.

In accordance with FIR, Mahmudur Rahman, also the acting editor of daily Amar Desh, refused to receive the ACC notice when ACC officials tried to issue it to him in person at his newspaper office on April 13.

Later, ACC sent the notice to his home by post on April 19 when a man named Alam received the notice on his behalf, the FIR added.

Challenging the notice, Mahmudur Rahman filed a petition with the First

Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka and sought for a permanent injunction on the notice. But the court rejected the petition.

He later went to High Court challenging the lower court order. On April 27, HC stayed ACC activities against him.

The chamber judge of the Appellate Division stayed HC order on May 5 for ten days after ACC filed an appeal with the Appellate Division. The Appellate Division also asked ACC to file a regular leave petition within the period.

Later, ACC filed a regular leave petition and the matter is now pending with the court.

Earlier on March 10, ACC issued another notice against Mahmudur Rahman asking him to appear before the commission on March 16 for questioning as an enquiry into his wealth statement was going on.

Mahmudur Rahman did not appear before the commission and filed a civil suit with the First Sessions Judge's Court challenging the notice. The suit is still pending with the court.

Police arrested Mahmudur Rahman from his newspaper office on June 2 after the government cancelled the declaration of the newspaper the same day.

There are 34 cases against Mahmudur Rahman besides the case of ACC, which was filed yesterday.