The Anti-Corruption Commission has claimed to have found "convincing" evidence that former prime minister Khaleda Zia had shown fake sources of funds for establishing Zia Charitable Trust.
Nearly Tk 2 crore spent on the establishment of the Trust came from unknown and fake sources, said a commission official referring to the findings of an ACC probe into corruption allegations against Khaleda.
The probe did not find any involvement of Khaleda's sons Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko in the corruption.
Meanwhile, another ACC investigation found lack of diligence on the part of the then prime minister Khaleda Zia in the allocation of Tk 100 crore for construction of the Bhairab bridge, said a source at the commission.
The ACC is now looking into the legal aspect of the probe reports to find whether they have any flaws or loopholes.
Probes into the corruption allegations against Khaleda were initiated early this year and the findings came about two months ago. But the matter came to prominence following the growing acrimony between Awami League and BNP over the evacuation of Khaleda Zia from her cantonment residence.
The print and electronic media ran reports and programmes based on the rumour that the government might move to file cases against Khaleda and her two sons to compel BNP to drop its plan for anti-government programmes.
ACC Chairman Ghulam Rahman however brushed aside any possibility of the government using the commission for the purpose.
"The commission will file a case only after it is totally convinced that the case would lead to punishment of the accused," he said.
"The Anti-Corruption Commission has no connection with the government. It works independently and makes its own decision," the chairman said.
Senior ACC lawyers are going through the findings to determine whether ACC should go ahead as filing of any cases against Khaleda might evoke a controversy.
The ACC also initiated investigation into two corruption allegations against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina but it did not find evidence against her.
PROBES INTO ALLEGATIONS AGAINST KHALEDA
Since there was no known source of Tk 2 crore spent on the establishment of the Trust, the money must have been laundered, said a source at the commission.
A money laundering case could be filed in this connection, the source said.
Of the amount, Khaleda did not mention anything about Tk 1 crore she spent for purchasing land for the Trust.
Documents show that 45 decimals of land was purchased for about Tk 6 crore at Purana Paltan for Zia Charitable Trust. But the Trust actually paid Tk 7.5 crore to buy the plot, said the source.
The probe found that most of the money spent on establishment of the trust came from accounts of BNP leaders including late Mannan Bhuiyan.
Moreover, the Trust received Tk 1 crore through different pay orders. But during the probe, people, who supposedly issued the pay orders, denied sending the money to the Trust. It proves that Khaleda had shown fake documents, the ACC source said.
The commission has enough evidence to prove the allegations. But it is dealing the matter carefully since it involves private property, said an ACC high-up.
In another investigation, the ACC found that Khaleda allocated additional Tk 100 crore to Natal Group without due diligence for construction of Bhairab Bridge.
Construction of the bridge began with a budget of Tk 400 crore in 1999 during the tenure of the AL government. UK-based firm Natal Group got the contract and completed construction within the deadline of 2002.
"It is under debate whether a prime minister should be accused in a case for giving approval to a project although the investigation found that Khaleda allocated Tk 100 crore without due diligence," the ACC high official said.
-Daily Star
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