A parliamentary body today accused former shipping adviser Maj Gen (retd) MA Matin of violation of constitution and the Public Servant (Retirement) Act by lifting service age of the pilots of Chittagong port to 60 years from 57.

The parliamentary standing committee on the shipping ministry recommended that the ministry file cases against the former adviser and four government officials in this connection and also take departmental disciplinary actions against them. The four officials include former shipping secretary Sheikh AK Motahar Hossain, incumbent chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority Commodore RU Ahmed, former joint secretary of shipping ministry Abdul Matin and former senior assistant secretary of the same ministry Sharif Mohammad Masud.

The officials assisted the former shipping adviser in committing the offence, the parliamentary body found. It also asked the shipping ministry to send the matter to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for further investigation into the matter. The ACC has already filed a case against former adviser in charge of irregularities in awarding the container-handling task at the port to a private company. The ACC has begun investigation and quizzed the former adviser in connection with this case. The former adviser denied the allegation. “The parliamentary probe body found the evidence that shows Matin violated section 58 Gha (1) of the constitution to increase age-limit of pilots of Chittagong Port from 57 year to 60,” Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury, chairman of the standing committee told reporters after the meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

He also violated the Public Servants (Retirement) Act, 1974 in this regard,” Chowdhury, also a ruling Awami League lawmaker, added. He said the former shipping adviser abused his power and it seems financial matter was related behind increasing the age-limit of the pilots. The four-member sub-committee headed by Shah Alam yesterday placed its probe report to the main committee. “It is clearly defined in the Act that no one except the parliament has the power to increase age-limit. Besides, it is also violation of Rules of Business to increase the age-limit without approval of Establishment and Finance ministry,” he further said.

-Daily Star

Probe panel accuses Matin of violating law

The Indepedent: The parliamentary probe committee formed to probe the irregularities of former adviser to the military-backed caretaker government Major General (Retd) MA Matin found more evidence of irregularities by the former adviser. Talking to the reporters, head of the probe committee Nur-E-Alam Chowdhury said that the former adviser had a role links in raising the age limit of pilots of the Chittagong port which, was a violation of rules.

He said that his committee would submit its report very soon to the parliamentary standing committee on the shipping ministry. The report would be discussed at the next meeting of the parliamentary committee. "The former adviser was involved in the process of raising the age limit of retirement of the pilots of the port from 57 to 60 which is the violation of the Public Employees Act, 1974," Chowdhury added. It may be mentioned that another probe committee found the involvement of the former adviser in awarding contract to a container handling company illegally. The matter is being investigated by the ACC at present.

The committee at its meeting held yesterday also recommended upgradation of the Chittagong Marine Academy. bdnews24.com adds: The probe report, made by the parliamentary standing committee on shipping, recommended to the ministry to ask the Anti-corruption Commission to investigate the 'power abuse' by Matin and four other public servants involved in the process. "General Matin abused his authority as shipping adviser and violated the constitution and the public servants' retirement act, 1974 by increasing the age limit of pilots at the Chittagong port," Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury, chairman of the standing committee, told bdnews24.com after the committee meeting on Wednesday.

Former shipping secretary Sheikh Motahar Hossain, chairman of the Chittagong Port Commodore R U Ahmed, former joint secretary Abdul Matin and Sharif Md Masud are the other officials found guilty by the inquiry committee. "We have also asked the ministry to file departmental action against the officials," said the head of the four-member probe body. This is the second time Matin, a retired major general who headed the corruption-busting body formed by the military-installed caretaker government after the state of emergency was clamped on Jan 11, 2007, has been charged. Earlier, the parliamentary probe body accused Matin of violating government rules in awarding container handling work at the Chittagong port to a "novice" firm.

The ACC on Sept 30 quizzed him over the charges. Matin claimed himself innocent at the hearing and said his move save was to public funds. "Only parliament can change the service age of all public servants, including the pilots," Chowdhury, the committee chief, said at his office. Matin in 2007 increased the service age of the pilots to 60 from 57. "We have got the report and we will discuss the same at our next meeting to make final recommendations," said Chowdhury. "The probe body has recommended cancellation of the age limit increase and refer the corruption case to the Anti-corruption Commission," said Shah Alam.

JS body suggests ACC probe of
Matin’s power abuse

The New Age: A parliamentary panel on Wednesday asked the government to refer to the anti-corruption commission for investigation of yet another case of ‘power abuse’ by retired major general MA Matin, who was shipping advisor of the previous military-backed interim regime.

After an initial investigation, the parliamentary standing committee on shipping ministry found the former shipping adviser had abused his authority by raising the retirement age of pilots of the Chittagong ports without consulting the establishment and finance ministries. ‘The former adviser abused his authority while he was in charge of the ministry and violated constitution and the Public Servants’ Retirement Act 1974 by unilaterally raising the age limit of pilots,’ the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry, Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury, told reporters after a meeting of the committee.

The committee had earlier assigned a four-member panel headed by ruling party lawmaker Shah Alam to investigate alleged irregularities by the former adviser. The panel found that the former adviser raised the retirement age of the pilots to 60 from 57, giving misinterpretation of a decision by an inter-ministry meeting. Four other officials of the ministry assisted Matin to take the decision, according to the investigation report placed at the parliamentary committee on Wednesday. Former shipping secretary Sheikh Motahar Hossain, chairman of Chittagong Port Commodore R U Ahmed, former joint secretary Abdul Matin and Sharif Md Masud were the other officials found guilty by the inquiry committee.

The committee also asked the ministry for taking departmental action against those officials and scrapping the decision for enhancing the age-limit. Earlier, the same committee suggested the shipping ministry for filing a case against the former adviser and refer the alleged irregularities to anti-corruption commission for investigation. He was accused of favouring a company in awarding a contract for handling containers at Chittagong Port. Anti-corruption commission officials quizzed Matin at Chittagong Port on September 30. But the former adviser claimed him to be innocent.

Matin 'breached law' to raise service age

bdnews: A parliamentary probe has found that the former shipping adviser to the caretaker government, M A Matin, violated a law in increasing the service age of 'pilots' of Chittagong port and misused his office.

The probe report, made by the parliamentary standing committee on shipping, recommended the ministry refer the Anticorruption Commission to investigate the 'power abuse' by Matin and four other public servants involved in the process. "General Matin abused his authority as shipping adviser and violated constitution and the public servants' retirement act 1974 by increasing the age limit of pilots at Chittagong port," Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury, chairman of the standing committee, told bdnews24.com after the committee meeting on Wednesday.

Former shipping secretary Sheikh Motahar Hossain, chairman of the Chittagong Port Commodore R U Ahmed, former joint secretary Abdul Matin and Sharif Md Masud are the other officials found guilty by the inquiry committee. "We have also asked the ministry to file departmental actions against the officials," said ruling Awami League MP Shah Alam, head of the four-member probe body. He submitted the findings at the committee meeting. This is the second time Matin, a retired major general who headed the corruption-busting body formed by military-installed caretaker government after the state of emergency was clamped on Jan 11, 2007, has been charged. Earlier, the parliamentary probe body accused Matin of violating government rule in awarding container handling work at Chittagong port to a "novice" firm.

The ACC on Sept 30 quizzed him over the charges. Matin claimed himself innocent at the hearing and said his move saved public funds. "Only parliament can change the service age of all public servants including the pilots," Chowdhury, the committee chief, said at his office. Matin in 2007 increased the service age of the pilots to 60 from the existing 57. "We have got the report and we will discuss the same at our next meeting to make final recommendations," said Chowdhury. "The probe body has recommended cancellation of the age limit increase and refer the corruption case to the Anti-corruption Commission," said Shah Alam.