Dual citizenship: EC asks foreign ministry to seek info on three candidates

The Election Commission has directed the foreign ministry to seek information from relevant foreign embassies in Dhaka over the alleged dual citizenship of two Awami League candidates and one independent aspirant for the 12th general elections.

The commission has issued three separate letters in this regard.

The candidates are – Faridpur-3 independent candidate AK Azad, Awami League candidate for the same seat Shamim Haque and the party's Barishal-4 candidate Shammi Ahmed.  

Previously, in separate complaints filed at the EC, Azad and Shamim accused each other of holding dual citizenship and challenged each other's candidacy.

Besides, Barishal-4 candidate Shammi on 4 December got her nomination cancelled after an independent candidate for the same seat, Pankaj Nath, filed a complaint against her at the commission stating that Shammi holds the citizenship for both Bangladesh and Australia.

Shammi had filed an appeal at the commission seeking reinstatement of her candidacy. 

As per the complaints filed at the EC, Faridpur-3 independent candidate AK Azad allegedly holds the citizenship of both Bangladesh and the US, while the Awami League candidate for the same seat, Shamim Haque, allegedly holds dual citizenship of both Bangladesh and the Netherlands.

On 12 December, the EC sent three letters to the foreign ministry separately, asking it to seek information on the alleged dual citizenship of Azad, Shamim and Shammi with the help of the US, the Netherlands and the Australian embassies in Dhaka respectively.

The letters, signed by EC's Legal Branch Deputy Secretary Abdus Salam, directed the ministry to file the information by 14 December. 

The commission will announce its judgment over the complaints against the three on 15 December.