Bangladesh to file corruption cases against former ministers

06 Mar, 2007

Bangladesh's anti-graft body Monday said it would file cases against three former ministers for alleged corruption and for giving false statements about the extent of their wealth.
The three politicians, two from Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and one from the main opposition Awami League, face up to a decade in jail if they are found guilty, Anti-Corruption Commission secretary Delowar Hossain said.
"In their wealth statements, they gave false wealth figures, evaded wealth in millions and were found involved in corruption," Hossain said. "We will file cases against the three tonight or tomorrow morning. A son of a minister and a wife of another will also be charged in the cases," he added.
The commission last month named the three - former labour minister Amanullah Aman and ex-civil aviation minister Mir Nasiruddin of the BNP, and former deputy planning minister Mohiddun Khan Alamgir of the Awami League - in a list of 50 high-profile people.
It accused the 50 of amassing wealth that did not match their income and asked them to account for their assets or face charges. The commission launched the corruption crackdown a month after the country's military-backed interim government was installed following the imposition of a state of emergency by the president.
The anti-graft drive is aimed at cleaning up politics and holding credible elections after polls scheduled for January 22 were cancelled over allegations by the opposition parties that the voting list was rigged.

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