Graft case against Khaleda brought under EPR
Courtesy New Age 18/9/07
The Anti-Corruption Commission on Monday decided to bring under the Emergency Powers Rules 2007 the graft case against detained former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and 12 others, including her detained younger son Arafat Rahman, for awarding a contract to an unsuitable and ill-equipped firm to handle the containers’ depots in Dhaka and
The ACC gave the approval in response to a plea made by its deputy director, Zahurul Huda, who is the investigation officer of the corruption case.
‘We have decided to bring the case under the emergency rules, which bar any accused persons from seeking bail, in response to a plea filed by the investigation officer of the case,’ said the ACC’s secretary, Mokhlesur Rahman, at a news briefing on Monday.
When he was asked why the case against Khaleda Zia was brought under the emergency rules, Mokhles replied, ‘The investigation officer felt that the case should be brought under the emergency rules because of its public importance.’
Golam Shahriar Chowdhury, a deputy director of the ACC, filed the case with Tejgaon police on September 2 against Khaleda, her younger son Arafat Rahman, and 11 others for awarding an important contract to an incompetent firm, Global Agro-Trade Company, to handle the containers’ depots in Dhaka and
The joint-forces arrested the 63-year-old prime minister, also the BNP chairperson, and her son from her Cantonment residence on September 3. They were sent to separate jails for corruption after being produced in the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court of Dhaka. But the 11 other persons accused in the case could not be arrested so far.
Zahurul Huda, a deputy director of the ACC, was assigned to investigate the case.
As the case against the former prime minister was filed by the ACC under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947, the investigation and trial need to be conducted in accordance with the Anti-
Corruption Rules 2007 and the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1958 as amended on April 18, said sources.
According to the rules, the investigation of such a case needs to be concluded within 45 working days from the date of appointment of the investigation officer.
The rules empower the ACC to extend the time of investigation by 15 more working days if there are valid reasons for failure in concluding the investigation in the stipulated time.
According to the Criminal Law Amendment Act, the cases need to be tried by the Special Judge’s Courts within 45 days after taking them into cognisance.
The court will have the scope to extend the time by 15 more days after recording the reasons for failure in concluding the trial.
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