ACC presses charges against Khaleda in Barapukuria case

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The Anticorruption Commission has pressed charges against former prime minister Khaleda Zia and 15 others in the Barapukuria case, alleging irregularities and corruption in handing over operations of the coalmine to a Chinese company, reports bdnews24.com.
BNP leaders say the ACC decision to press charges against Khaleda and others in the Barapukuria coalmine case will put general elections in doubt.
ACC deputy director Abul Kashem Faquir submitted the charge sheet to Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court Sunday.
Some 34 people have been named as witnesses in the charge sheet.
ACC prosecution officer at the CMM court Md Abdur Rashid confirmed submission of the charge sheet to bdnews24.com
The ACC approved charges against the 16 on Sept 30.
The investigation report of the case was received on September 10, ACC director Col Hanif Iqbal said.
Former ministers in the immediate past BNP-led government, Saifur Rahman, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Matiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, are among those to be charged in the case.
The commission filed the case on Feb 26 accusing the then government leaders of incurring losses of Tk 158.71 crore to the state due to the agreement with China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC).
Other accused in the case are former ministers MK Anwar, Khondakar Mosharraf Hossain, M Shamsul Islam, Aminul Huq, AKM Mosharraf Hossain, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, former energy secretary Nazrul Islam, former Petrobangla chairman SR Osmani, former director of Petrobangla Moinul Ahsan, former managing director of the Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Serajul Islam and Hosaf Group chairman Moazzem Hossain, local agent of the CMC.
BNP's vice president MK Anwar and joint senior secretary general Goyeshwar Chandra Roy said such an approach of the ACC after the announcement of the date for general elections will put the elections at stake.
"No atmosphere congenial to fair elections has been created for all the parties to participate. The lack of coordination among its institutions can hamper elections. It has been visible with the activities between government and its other institutions," Anwar said to reporters at his Elephant Road residence.
Roy said to reporters at BNP's Naya Paltan central office, "[The government's] main task is to create a congenial atmosphere after the announcement of the election date. It is not a good sign to give approval to the chargesheet submission.
"Because of this, whatever doubts there have been in the public minds will deepen."
He demanded withdrawal of the case.
On the EC's position on the mandatory registration of political parties under the new electoral laws, the former state minister said, "Such hard stance of the Election Commission will not augur well. It will add to anxieties. Because the commission should make sure that political parties are not opposed to them."