Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission Ghulam Rahman said that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) would submit final reports in the cases filed against political leaders including Awami League president and prime minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, if they are found innocent during the investigation.

In an interview with The Independent on Thursday, the chairman of the anti-graft body hoped that the commission would be able to work without pressure from any influential quarter. The ACC chief has expressed his determination to prove that nobody is above the law. He pointed out that a number of people including some businessmen and politicians once thought that they were beyond the reach of the long hands of law. But the ACC proved that notion wrong during the period of the immediate past caretaker government, he added.

The Commission has so far received over 100 cases including 12 cases against Awami League president Sheikh Hasina from the committee on withdrawal of the politically motivated cases headed by the state minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs Advocate Quamrul Islam. The committee has suggested the Commission to withdraw the cases citing those as politically motivated ones. In light of the Committee's suggestion, the Commission on October 18 submitted a final report of a graft case filed against Sheikh Hasina before a Dhaka court suggesting to clear her and three others' names from the charges citing no instance of misuse of power by any of the accused. The court on October 19 cleared them of the charges.

When his attention was drawn to the cases filed against Khaleda Zia and her party leaders, the ACC chairman said, "All are equal in the eyes of the Commission. Hence, the cases lodged against Begum Khaleda Zia and her party leaders will also be withdrawn, if they were found baseless and politically motivated." The Commission had already submitted final reports in two graft cases filed against former communications minister Barrister Nazmul Huda on charge of misappropriating money from a project for constructing roads at his Dohar constituency and importing of CNG-run three wheelers, the Commission chief added. "But, no cases would be withdrawn whoever he or she may be including the premier, if the Commission finds their involvement in the graft cases," he stressed. He vowed to bring those to justice who had sown the seed of corruption.

Replying to a query, he said, "We have so far received over 100 graft cases filed against different political leaders from the committee on withdrawal of the politically motivated cases . The Committee asked us to take initiative to withdraw the cases citing those as politically motivated ones." "We received 12 graft cases filed against prime minister Sheikh Hasina from the Committee. Of the cases, 10 were filed during the rule of the previous BNP-led four-party alliance government and two during the immediate past caretaker government," the ACC chief informed.

One of the graft cases against the premier and three others had already been withdrawn as no document was found during investigation that could prove her involvement in the case, he said. "The three other accused in the case are former state minister Obaidul Quader, former joint secretary of Cultural Ministry Asaduzzaman Bhuiyan and architect Iqbal Habib of M/s Bhitti Sthopotibrinda Ltd," he added. On July 3, 2004 Monjur Morshed, an official of the now defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption, filed the case with Ramna Police Station against Sheikh Hasina and three others on charges of embezzlement of fund to the tune of Tk 41.84 lakh from a project to construct a complex at the grave of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Tungipara in Gopalganj.

-The Independent