ACC official Sharif's dismissal: Menon calls for parliamentary inquiry

Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon called to form a parliamentary committee to investigate the firing of deputy assistant director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Sharif Uddin on Monday.

He made the demand during a point of order at the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament).

Sharif Uddin was sacked by ACC chairman Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah on 16 February with immediate effect just 16 days after Sharif filed a general diary (GD) because of death threats.

He was a deputy assistant director of ACC’s Patuakhali office.

Menon, whose party is a partner of Awami League’s 14-party alliance, said that ACC’s act of dismissing Sharif Uddin without any prior notice was unconstitutional.

Menon questioned why the anti-graft body dismissed an official who had earlier been assessed as 'excellent' by the commission.

He said that Sharif Uddin was investigating irregularities and corruption in land acquisition in Cox’s Bazar for government projects, forgery of NID and passports of Rohingya, corruption in Chattogram LR department and appointments in railways. Those were very important.

Sharif Uddin had unearthed the names of 20 administrative cadres, four police officials, 23 surveyors, politicians, journalists and other government officials in three separate investigations, Menon quoted media reports as saying.

After firing him, the ACC has sent those cases for reinvestigation. If Sharif Uddin was dismissed because of his investigation, then there were powerful people behind the decision.

Menon feels that the parliament should look into the matter and for that it needs to form a parliamentary committee.