ACC team to probe wealth info of 7 ex-ministers, MPs

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has formed an investigation committee to conduct inquiry into the information on wealth of seven former ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs) who participated in the 10th general elections.
The committee was formed in a regular meeting of ACC, the anti-graft body Public Relations Officer Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya told the reporters Wednesday.
He said seven ACC officers will conduct the probe. The investigation officers are: ACC joint directors Mirza Zahidul Alam, Khairul Huda, Ahsan Ali, Nasir Uddin, Syed Fiad Alam, Tahsinul Haque and deputy director Masudur Rahman.
ACC officials said the ministers and MPs are: 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.
ACC Secretary M Foyzur Rahman Chowdhury said recently that the commission will investigate into the assets of not only the alleged corrupt ministers and members of parliament (MPs) but also their relatives.
"We will not feel embarrassed to scrutinise the unusual increase in wealth of some ministers and MPs in last five years even though they are very much powerful. The relatives of such public figures will also come under the scanner of the anti-graft watchdog," he said.
Mr Chowdhury said they have been collecting information and news clips on amassing of wealth by the ministers and MPs and will investigate those after comparing with the affidavits submitted to the Election Commission (EC) before election.
Earlier, the ACC officials informed the journalists that the commission has taken a decision to examine the MPs' affidavits which they provided to the EC before 10th parliamentary elections.
Media reports on huge discrepancies between wealth statements of the ministers and MPs which they submitted to the Election Commission ahead of the 10th parliamentary elections and the statements they had provided prior to the 9th national polls in 2008 created furors among the people.