Ex-MP Poton among 5 sued for Tk582cr fertiliser scam
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) sued five people, including former lawmaker Kamrul Ashraf Khan Poton, for misappropriating 72,000 tonnes of government-imported urea fertiliser, valued at Tk582 crore, during transportation.
ACC Deputy Director Md Rafikuzzaman filed the case with the commission's Dhaka-1 office on Sunday.
The other accused are General Manager Shahadat Hossain and General Manager (Management) Nazmul Hossain Badal of Poton Traders, North Bengal representative Md Sohrab Hossain of Poton Traders and its Khulna and Noapara unit's Md Ataur Rahman.
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According to the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) investigation report, the corporation had an agreement with Poton Traders to deliver 3.93 lakh tonnes of urea imported from the Middle East to government warehouses in FY22. Kamrul Ashraf Khan is the owner of Poton Traders.
As per rules, fertilisers are supposed to reach the warehouses within 50 days of their release. However, the contractor never delivered 72,000 tonnes of fertiliser, the report says.
The ACC filed a case after the preliminary investigation following a directive of the High Court, to investigate the alleged embezzlement of fertiliser by Poton Traders, the contractor in charge of transportation of the import.
Last May, the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation filed a Tk1,163 crore money recovery suit against Poton Traders for misappropriating 72,000 tonnes of imported urea fertiliser during transportation.
In June, the High Court also asked the ACC to prove the allegation and submit the probe report to the court within 60 days.
