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Graft cases against top shots see no light

300 cases await disposal; stay orders, stalled probe, quashing and withdrawal of cases seen in last 14 years

ZAYADUL AHSAN
About 300 corruption cases filed against top politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and other VIPs during the last 14 years stand pending before court.
The High Court has stayed about 100 of them and there is no example of the government ever trying to vacate these stay orders.
Charge-sheets have been submitted in 239 cases, a few cases have been withdrawn and a few
others quashed by court. Corruption charges in 57 cases are under investigation.
Of the 51 cases awaiting submission of charge-sheet, enquiry of nine remains stayed. Investigation of 15 cases now awaits the node of the Prime Minister's Office for further action.
The Registrar of the Supreme Court, lower courts, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the nowdefunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption (Bac) and the Attorney General's
office have no coordination in dealing with these cases.
The government established the ACC in November last year but the corruption scenario has worsened further. Eight months into its formation, the ACC is yet to initiate any investigation as it is struggling to come out of internal problems.
About the long-pending cases, Deputy Attorney General Helaluddin Mollah who is responsible for dealing with corruption cases
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said: "The government has a clear directive to vacate the stay orders for disposal of the cases."
"Judges have been tasked with dealing cases of a certain period and the pending cases are being disposed of gradually," he added.
But records contradict his claim and show cases against the VIPs have not made any progress.
A corruption case filed with Ramna Police Station on May 24, 1982 against former water resources minister Maj Gen M Majedul Haq now remains stayed due to a writ petition filed in 1997.
Another corruption case filed against former state minister for religious affairs Moulana MA Mannan is still under trial despite submission of charge-sheet.
The case was filed with Faridganj Police Station in Chandpur on December 21, 1988 and its charge-sheet was submitted 10 years later.
Although many top leaders of major political parties have more than one corruption case against their names, none of them faced any punishment.
The only exception is former military ruler HM Ershad who was jailed after the Supreme Court convicted him in the Janata Tower case.
After they step down, many frontline political leaders face charges of gross corruption by those who take over power.
There is a trend that the leaders, while in the opposition, demand punishment of the corrupt but themselves indulge in corruption when in power.
Before the fifth to eighth parliamentary elections, all major parties pledged to combat corruption and included the issue prominently in their manifestos.
Former bureaucrat AKM Mosharraf Hossain, who had faced several corruption charges filed by BNP government in 1991-92, became a minister of the current BNP-led coalition government. He recently had to resign due to a scandal.
Law Minister Moudud Ahmed also faced several corruption charges filed by the BNP government during 1991-96 period. These cases are still pending.
After Ershad stepped down in 1990, the newly-elected BNP government filed dozens of cases against Ershad and his cabinet ministers during 1991-1996.
When Awami League (AL) took office, it filed cases against almost all ministers of the BNP government including Khaleda Zia. Similarly, the present coalition government filed many cases
against the AL ministers including Sheikh Hasina.
All the accused political leaders claim that the cases filed against them have no merit and were filed to harass them.
ACC Chairman Justice Sultan Hossain Khan soon after its formation said the commission would take steps to vacate the stay orders and expedite the cases. So far this claim has gone in vain.
The attorney general's office remains always busy moving cases against the previous government. They are never seen dealing cases against the ruling party leaders. They do not have any idea how the cases would be dealt with.
Following is a list of former and present ministers who along with many bureaucrats and high defence officers were and are now facing corruption charges: AWAMI LEAGUE
Sheikh Hasina, Shah AMS Kibria (late), Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Amir Hossain Amu, Motia Chowdhury, ASHK Sadek, Mohammad Nasim, Tofail Ahmed, Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Abu Sayeed, Mohammad Hanif, Obaidul Kader, AKM Jahangir, Sajeda Chowdhury, ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, Prof Rafiqul Islam, Dr Mozammel Hossain, Nuruddin Khan, Mustafizur Rahman, AK Faezul Haq, Abul Hasan Chowdhury and Talukdar Abdul Khaleque.
BNP
Khaleda Zia (case quashed), Altaf Hossain Choudhury (cases withdrawn), Abdullah Al Noman, M Morshed Khan, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Mir Shawkat Ali, Mirza Abbas, Dr Khandoker Mosharraf Hossain, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Rafiqul Islam Mia, AKM Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Golam Hafiz (late), Oli Ahmed, Mosharef Hossain Shajahan, Sirajul Haq, Hannan Shah, Akbar Hossain, Mahmudul Hasan, Majedul Haq and Lutfor Rahman Khan Azad.
JATIYA PARTY
HM Ershad, Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury (later joined AL), Moudud Ahmed (later joined BNP), Kazi Zafar Ahmed, Shah Moazzem Hossain, Sheikh Shahidul Islam, Naziur Rahman, Moulana Abdul Mannan, Manjur Kader (later joined BNP), Ruhul Amin Hawladar, Anwar Hossain Manju, Kazi Firoz Rashid, Ziauddin Bablu, Nurunnabi Chand, Jafar Imam, Mostafa Zaman Haider, Shamshul Haq and Sirajul Hossain Khan.