Amassing wealth illegally by police: The cases should be pursued firmly and steadily
NEWS media reported that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Wednesday lodged two cases against a police superintendent and his wife on charges of amassing wealth of over Tk 3.49 crore through bribery and other corrupt means. The anti-corruption watchdog found the couple has acquired wealth worth Tk 11 crore. The revelation is not eye-opening as the high level of corruption in the police department is not unknown to the high-ups. It is detrimental that the accumulation of wealth by a policeman is the tip of an iceberg and if the ACC goes for a wider investigation into the police department a majority would be netted.
SP Mizanur Rahman of Dhaka Range Reserve Force and his wife Salma Aktar Nipa were sued under the ACC Act 2004 and Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012. Mizan’s total wealth is more than his income, and it was found that he amassed wealth worth Tk 1.17 crore through bribery and other corrupt means by abuse of power while Nipa made the fortune Tk 2.32 crore through her husband’s corruption. The corruption came in light after a week of survey by the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) that revealed law enforcement agencies are the most corrupt among 18 service-providing departments and sectors.
The ACC so far has quizzed an additional commissioner of DMP over his illegal wealth and abuse of power. The ACC filed a case against another SP, Subhash Chandra Saha, and his wife Rina Chowdhury for amassing over Tk 8 crore beyond known source of income. For his part, SP Mizan, from Tungipara of Gopalganj, made headlines several times for alleged corruption and violation of service rules. In 2010, he was removed from the post of Bagerhat SP following media reports that he tried to grab some land there. In 2016, the accused reportedly engaged about 60 policemen of his unit in the construction work of his luxury home in Hemayetpur, which prompted the ACC to open an investigation.
We shall all be keen to observe how firmly and steadily these cases are pursued.
The ACC so far has quizzed an additional commissioner of DMP over his illegal wealth and abuse of power. The ACC filed a case against another SP, Subhash Chandra Saha, and his wife Rina Chowdhury for amassing over Tk 8 crore beyond known source of income. For his part, SP Mizan, from Tungipara of Gopalganj, made headlines several times for alleged corruption and violation of service rules. In 2010, he was removed from the post of Bagerhat SP following media reports that he tried to grab some land there. In 2016, the accused reportedly engaged about 60 policemen of his unit in the construction work of his luxury home in Hemayetpur, which prompted the ACC to open an investigation.
We shall all be keen to observe how firmly and steadily these cases are pursued.
