Five ex-ministers quizzed in Khaleda's GATCO scam

FE Team | Published: September 26, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Five former ministers, who were also the members of the cabinet committee on purchase, were quizzed Tuesday in the GATCO graft case against former prime minister Khaleda Zia and 12 others, reports bdnews24.com.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) summoned the five influential politicians, who had served the Khaleda administration, to help probe the circumstances surrounding the scam.
The ACC officials said, the commission was probing why the cabinet committee had first rejected GATCO's container handling offer, but subsequently approved it without raising any objection.
Former finance and planning minister M Saifur Rahman was the first to arrive at the ACC at 11am.
Former information minister M Shamsul Islam and former LGRD minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan arrived next at 12 noon. Former agriculture minister MK Anwar and industry minister Matiur Rahman Nizami also testified in the case.
On September 2, ACC deputy director Golam Shahriar Chowdhury filed the corruption case with Tejgaon Police Station against 13 people, including BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and her younger son Arafat Rahman Coco. Khaleda and Coco were arrested on September 3 from their home.
The first information report (FIR) of the case alleged that Global Agro Trade Company (GATCO), an "inefficient and inexperienced" firm, had been unlawfully awarded the contract to handle containers at Chittagong Port Terminal Yard and Kamlapur Inland Container Depot.
Former shipping minister late Akbar Hossain and his son Ismail Hossain Saimon persuaded Coco and Khaleda to intervene to give the work to GATCO, according to the FIR. Saimon was arrested Monday.
The purchase committee rejected GATCO's bid on November 12, 2003 on the grounds that it had no experience of container handling, and recommended a re-tender.
However, Khaleda Zia, snubbed the committee's recommendation and awarded the work to GATCO, which was unfit for the job, it was alleged in the case.
The members of the cabinet purchase committee in question are former finance minister M Saifur Rahman, LGRD minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, health minister Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, information minister M Shamsul Islam, agriculture minister MK Anwar and industry minister Matiur Rahman Nizami.
Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain and AKM Mossharraf Hossain are now in jail. The cabinet secretary acted as the ex-officio member-secretary to the committee.