HC asks ACC to probe NSU treasurer selection tampering

The High Court (HC) today directed the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to probe the case alleging that the Prime Minister's consent to appoint Treasurer of North South University (NSU) was changed deceivingly.

A High Court division bench comprising Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Mohammad Badruzzaman passed the order after hearing the bail petition of ??the accused Nazim Uddin.

The HC also asked the accused to submit their applications before any bench under the jurisdiction of the ACC.

Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Dr Mohammad Bashir Ullah appeared in the court on behalf of the state while Advocate Sayeed Ahmed Raja pleaded for the accused.

DAG Dr Mohammad Bashir Ullah told BSS that, "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has declared war against corruption, and the said issue is also under her notice…ACC will now investigate the case of tampering and fraudulence the selection procedure."

According to the case, a summary from the Ministry of Education was sent to the Prime Minister office proposing the three names – Chairman of Department of History of NSU Prof. Dr M Enamul Haque, Professor of Department of Engineering of BUET Prof. Md Abdur Rauf, and former Treasurer of Bangladesh University of Professionals Air Commodore (retd.) M Abdus Salam Azad.

PM consented Prof. Dr M Enamul Haque for the post by putting tick mark beside his name in the document.

But before it was sent to President Abdul Hamid for the final approval, Fatima, an Office Assistant of the Prime Minister's Office secretly contacted Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) Leader Tariqul and told him that M Abdus Salam Azad did not get the approval.

On March 1, Fatema took out the document from the PM's Office and handed it over to the accused Farhad in exchange of TK 20,000.

The charge sheet says that the accused, in collusion with each other, tampered the document and returned it to the PM's office again on March 3.

Mohammad Rafiqul Alam, Director of the Prime Minister's Office-7 filed a case on May 5 on charges of fraudulence.

The accused in the case are Tariqul Islam Momin, central Vice-President (expelled) of BCL, Fatema Khatun, an employee of the Prime Minister's Office, Nazim Uddin, Rubel, Farhad Hossain, a student of North South University and former Treasurer of Bangladesh University of Professionals Air Commodore (retd.) M Abdus Salam Azad.

Among the accused, Azad remained absconding, and four including Tariqul, confessed their guilty and gave their disposition of statements.

Following the incident, Tariqul was expelled from the post of BCL.