Mridha, 7 others indicted in railway recruitment graft cases

A Chittagong court on Sunday indicted suspended general manager of Bangladesh Railway (East Zone) Yusuf Ali Mridha and seven others in two graft cases filed over corruption in the recruitment to the railway department.

Judge Mohammad Ataur Rahman of the Chittagong Divisional Special Judge's Court framed the charge sheet against the accused after a hearing in the afternoon.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) the cases on September 13, 2012 for irregularities in appointing over 1,000 employees like tool keepers and ticket issuers of Bangladesh Railway.

ACC counsel advocate Mahmudul Haque told reporters that the court framed charges against Mridha, suspended additional chief engineer (mechanical) of Bangladesh Railway (East Zone) Hafizur Rahman Chowdhury, suspended senior social welfare officer Golam Kibria in the case filed for taking bribes from the jobseekers in recruitment for the post of toll keeper.

Besides, the court framed charges against four jobseekers — SM Azizul Haque, ASM Saidur Rahman, Rabiul Hasan and Ashraful Islam — for giving bribes to the accused railway officials.

The police submitted the charge sheet against the seven accused in the case on October 1 last year.

Advocate Mahmudul Haque also said that in another case, the same court indicted railway officials Mridha, Hafizur Rahman and Golam Kibria, and one Shaheen Shah — who passed in the recruitment test for the post of ticket issuer by giving bribe.

On September 13, 2012, assistant director of the ACC (Dhaka headquarters) SM Rashedul Reza filed the two cases against the accused with the Kotwali Police Station of the port city of Chittagong on charges of irregularities in recruitment of toll keepers and ticket issuers.

After the completion of the investigation, the anti-graft body submitted the charge sheet against the eight in the both cases.

On April 9, 2012, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel detained former Railways Minister Suranjut Sengupta’s assistant personal secretary and Mridha along with Tk 70 lakh stashed in a car. It was believed that the money was collected from job aspirants to railway as bribe.

Suranjit Sengupta had to resign over the cash haul, following allegations that the money was being taken to his Jigatola residence. Suranjit has all along denied the claim.

The cash haul, which came to be known as railwaygate scandal, later exposed widespread irregularities in recruitments in different tiers of the railway.