The High Court (HC) on Sunday directed the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to produce the records of 408 ‘inquiry closed’ reports submitted to the lower court concerned exempting the corruption suspects in the last five months during the tenure of former ACC Chairman Iqbal Mahmood.
The ACC has been asked to produce the records of the reports before the HC by February 12 this year.
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat passed the order after hearing a Suo Motu (on its own motion) rule on the issue.
The ACC on Sunday submitted a report to the HC saying the commission has not found evidence of corruption in the 408 allegations after conducting inquiries. Therefore, the commission has given the ‘inquiry closed’ reports without filing any case against the persons, the commission said.
Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the ACC, while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state.
Earlier on March 16 in 2021, the High Court wanted to know how many people were given impunity from the investigation of the Anti-Corruption Commission in the last five months during the tenure of the former ACC Chairman Iqbal Mahmood.
If impunity was given to some people at that time, then the ACC had been asked to submit a list in the court stating their names, addresses and why the people were given impunity.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim passed the order as a Suo Motu move considering a report published in The Daily Inqilab on March 14 in 2021 under the banner of ‘Investigation trade in ACC’.
Inbal Mahmood joined as the Chairman of the ACC on March 10 in 2016. He left the organization on March 10 in 2021 after serving it about five years.
According to the Inqilab report the immediate past chairman of the ACC, Iqbal Mahmood, exempted many 'big fishes' of the corruption before leaving office on March 10. He used some innocent and weak people as a shield to hide their impunity, also read the report.
Quoting the dependable sources the report also said in the last five months he has acquitted more than 200 individuals and organisations from corruption charges.
