The Anti-Corruption Commission has started gathering information over corruption allegations against a former personal officer and a former assistant private secretary to two advisers of the interim government.
鈥楾he allegations involving two assistants to two advisers have come to our attention and we are actively working on the matters. Our聽 intelligence unit is already conducting probes,鈥� said ACC director general (prevention) Md Akhter Hossain at a press briefing in the capital Dhaka on Sunday.
He said, 鈥榃e will take necessary actions in accordance with ACC laws and regulations regarding the APS and the PO over the allegations.鈥�
Amid the allegations of corruption, Md Moazzem Hossain, former assistant private secretary to youth and sports adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, and Tuhin Farabi, personal officer to health adviser Nurjahan Begum, have resigned from their posts.
Earlier in the day, Jubo Odhikar Parishad, youth wing of the Gono Odhikar Parishad, organised a procession beside the National Press Club, which marched to the ACC headquarters at Segun Bagicha in the capital, demanding a probe into the alleged corruptions against the APS and PO.
Later, a delegation from the procession submitted a memorandum to the ACC seeking inquiries into the allegations.
Earlier, adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain addressed the issue in a Facebook post on Saturday, stating, 鈥業 have requested the ACC to investigate the allegations against former APS Moazzem. Whether the claims are baseless or true will be revealed through the investigation.鈥�
The adviser also expressed his trust that the ACC investigation will uncover the truth.
According to a Bangla daily report, former APS Md Moazzem Hossain was accused of lobbying, and similar allegations were made against the health adviser鈥檚 personal officers Tuhin Farabi and Mahmudul Hasan.
ACC DG Akhtar Hossain at the press briefing, however, did not say anything about the graft allegations against Mahmudul Hasan.
聽Amid graft allegations, Moazzem and Tuhin have been relieved of their posts, and a government order was issued on April 21 in this regard, said the report.
It said Moazzem allegedly embezzled a huge amount of money against recruitments and transfers, tender distribution and the rehabilitation of engineers who were complicit of the past fascist rule聽 at various levels.
It was alleged that Moazzem, a leader of the anti-discrimination movement, lobbied for transfer and promotion of almost all grades of officials, down from chief engineer and additional chief engineer to upazila engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department.
In addition, he used to lobby various ministries and departments, especially the home, water resources, and housing ministries, and the Public Works Department and the Roads and Highways Department for contractors to gain contracts.
Similar allegations were made against health adviser Nurjahan Begum鈥檚 personal officer (student representative) Tuhin Farabi and Md Mahmudul Hasan. Appointed on a temporary basis, they, too, have allegedly embezzled hundreds of crores of taka through appointments and transfer of doctors, medical college principals, directors, deputy directors, and civil surgeons, according to the report.