Graft allegation: Court seeks probe report on documents against Wasa MD

Graft allegation: Court seeks probe report on documents against Wasa MD

A Dhaka court today asked the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to submit by April 10 a probe report on the documents submitted earlier regarding the allegation of Tk 132 crore embezzlement brought against Wasa MD Taqsem A Khan and eight others.

Shahab Uddin Sarkar, secretary of Wasa Karmachari Bahumukhi Samabay Samity Ltd, a cooperative of Wasa employees, on August 2 last year submitted a series of documents to the ACC regarding the irregularities and corruption against them.

Judge Md Asaduzzaman of Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court passed the order after a short hearing on a case filed by Shahab Uddin Sarkar on November 10 last year, confirmed ACC Public Prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam.

Shahab also brought allegations against Wasa Secretary Sharmin Haque Amir, former revenue inspector Mia Md Mizanur Rahman, Additional Chief Engineer Mohd Akhtaruzzaman, Revenue Inspector Zakir Hossain, DWSNTP Executive Engineer Badrul Alam, former deputy manager and branch manager of Janata Bank's Karwan Bazar Corporate Branch Shyamal Biswas, Deputy Secretary of Janata Bank Sheikh Enayet Abdullah and Deputy Chief Accounts Officer of Janata Bank's Salekur Rahman.

Shahab, in the complaint, alleged that Taqsem and the eight accused withdrew Tk 132,04,17,460 from the cooperative's account with Janata Bank without any approval of the committee concerned.

The matter came to light following an audit in 2018-2020, he added.

Earlier on June 23 last year, Shahab Uddin Sarkar filed another case with Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court against Taqsem and eight others over embezzling Tk 132 crore.

But the court did not record it as a case and said it had no jurisdiction to take the matter into cognisance or even order an enquiry as it was a corruption case.