ACC asks Petrobangla entities to furnish info

The Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) sent notices to 13 government agencies Tuesday seeking information on appointment, promotion, and other activities as part of investigation into alleged corruption by the Chairman of Petrobangla Dr M Hossain Monsur and managing directors (MDs) of its associate companies.
The notices were sent signed by ACC deputy director (DD) Ahsan Ali requesting the agencies to reply by March 15, ACC officials said.
The 13 associate companies of Petrobangla are Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited, Sylhet Gas Fields Limited, Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited, Gas Transmission Company Limited, Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited, Jalalabad Gas Transmission and Distribution System Limited, Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited, Paschimanchal Gas Company Limited, Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited, Sundarban Gas Company Limited, Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited, Barapukuria Coal Mine Company and Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited.
Earlier, the ACC launched a probe into the graft allegations against the Petrobangla chairman and 13 MDs of its associate companies.
Sources said the MDs allegedly swindled over Tk 2.0 billion while implementing its various development works in the last four years, and the responsibility for it also goes to the Petrobangla chairman as he did not take action against them.
According to the allegations the ACC received, Mr Monsur with the help of his 'associates' appointed a number of employees in its 13 companies in the last four years ignoring rules and regulations and took bribes from job seekers.
Meanwhile, the ACC also sent a notice to former state minister for housing and public works Abdul Mannan Khan and his wife Syeda Hasina Sultana seeking their wealth statement.
ACC DD Iqbal Hossain sent the notices asking them to submit their wealth statement within seven working days.
The notice was sent as part of ACC's investigation into the alleged accumulation of illegal wealth by the seven former ministers and members of parliament (MPs).
They were former health minister AFM Ruhal Haq, former state minister for housing and public works Abdul Mannan Khan, former state minister for water resources Mahbubur Rahman, lawmaker of Cox's Bazar-4 Abdur Rahman Bodi, MP of Rajshahi-4 Engineer Enamul Haq, Aslamul Haque of Dhaka-14 and Abdul Zabbar of Satkhira.