HC angry over BCIC's failure to submit report

The High Court on Thursday expressed its displeasure at the authorities of the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) as they fail to submit a report over an allegation against Poton Traders, a contracting firm, of embezzling 72,000 tonnes of imported chemical fertiliser for which the government lost Tk 5.82 billion.
During a hearing on a rule, the lawyer of the BCIC sought more time for submitting its probe report to the court.
Then the court said, "More than Tk 5 billion has been embezzled. Did the money vanish into thin air? We will not tolerate any kind of corruption including money laundering. We have zero tolerance against corruption."
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat held the hearing on the rule issued by it earlier on a Suo Muto (voluntary) move following a news report published in a Bangla daily on this issue.
"Give us the specific names [of those] who are involved in embezzlement of money of fertilisers, we will take appropriate actions against them. Nobody involved in embezzlement will be spared," the HC bench added.
The HC bench also warned that if necessary, it would send those found involved in embezzlement of imported chemical fertilisers straight to jail.
The court set July 9 for further hearing of the rule and asked the BCIC lawyer to submit the investigation report to the court by this time.
Lawyer Molla Kismot Habib appeared in the court on behalf of the BCIC, while Khurshid Alam Khan represented the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told the HC that the ACC will submit its probe report to the court very soon.
Earlier on January 5, the HC bench directed the ACC and BCIC to conduct enquiry into the allegation of embezzling 72,000 tonnes of imported chemical fertiliser by Poton Traders. The HC asked the government bodies to submit their reports to it in 60 days.
Lawyer Molla Kismot Habib said, "We filed an affidavit on behalf of the BCIC in April. The High Court then allowed time till June 15 for submitting our report. We have already prepared a 277-page report on it, and will submit it after some formalities."
According to the published report, Poton Traders have misappropriated 72,000 tonnes of the government's imported chemical fertiliser without carrying those to warehouses after those were released from the port.
Embezzlement of the fertiliser by the Poton Traders has come to the light following two investigations conducted by the BCIC, a government body under the Ministry of Industries, also read the report.

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