Court imposes travel ban on Obaidul Quader, 13 others
ACC Assistant Director Khorshed Alam submitted the application seeking the travel ban
A Dhaka court has ordered a travel ban on the banned Awami League General Secretary and former Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, along with 13 others, in connection with a corruption case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The order was issued today (6 January) by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Sabbir Fayez following an application filed by the ACC. Court bench assistant Md Riaz Hossain confirmed the matter.
Those placed under the travel ban include former senior secretary of the Bridges Division Khandaker Anwarul Islam; former secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division Md Nazrul Islam; former Public Security Division secretary Mostafa Kamal Uddin; former Power Division secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus; former Land Ministry secretary Md Abdul Jalil; former Water Resources Ministry secretary Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan; former Finance and CAG secretary Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury; former senior secretary of the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division Mohammad Shahidul Haque; former SDG chief coordinator and former secretary Miz Zuena Aziz; former Railways Ministry secretary Md Mofazzel Hossain; former senior secretary of the Economic Relations Division Kazi Shafiqul Azam; former Defence Ministry secretary Akhtar Hossain Bhuiyan; and former chairman and secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division Dr Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem.
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ACC Assistant Director Khorshed Alam submitted the application seeking the travel ban.
According to the petition, the accused abused their vested government authority by acting in collusion during meetings of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority held in 2018 (meetings no 106 and 107). It is alleged that they approved a housing project on government land for personal interest, framed and approved flat allocation policies in violation of existing laws, and failed to publish the approved policies in gazette form.
The ACC further stated that flats were allocated in a manner inconsistent with approved rules, causing harm to public interest while unlawfully benefiting themselves and others. A case has been filed under Sections 409, 420 and 109 of the Penal Code, along with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947. The case is currently under investigation.
The ACC told the court that during the investigation, it learned that the accused were attempting to leave the country with their families. If they succeed in fleeing abroad, the investigation may be delayed or obstructed, the commission said, adding that imposing a travel ban was necessary in the interest of a fair and proper probe.
