Travel ban on 17 former ministers, 9 MPs

The court has put an embargo on 17 ministers and nine MPs of the ousted Awami League government from leaving the country on the allegations of involvement in irregularities and corruption.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions judge Mohammed Ash-Shams Joglul Hossain passed the order Monday following an appeal from the Anti-corruption Commission.

ACC public prosecutors (PP) Mir Ahmed Ali Salam and Mahmud Hossain confirmed this to Prothom Alo.

PP Mir Ahmed Ali Salam told Prothom Alo that the ACC is investigating several allegations of amassing incredible amount of assets by means of irregularities and corruption against several former MPs and ministers.

He further said the ACC had learnt that 17 former ministers and nine MPs, who have been accused of irregularities and corruption, have been trying to flee the country. So the commission appealed to the court seeking a ban on these former lawmakers from leaving the country.

He added that the lawyers on behalf of the commission presented the argument for imposing the ban on former ministers and MPs. After the hearing the court imposed a travel ban on them.

The list of the former ministers and state ministers, who have been banned, include Hasan Mahmud of foreign affairs; Imran Ahmed of expatriates' welfare and overseas employment; Tipu Munshi of commerce; Anisul Huq of law; Tazul Islam of local government, rural development and cooperatives; Faridul Haque Khan of religious affairs; Hasanul Haque Inu of information; Golam Dastgir Gazi of textiles and jute; Anwar Hossain Manju of environment, forest and climate change, Zunaid Ahmed Palak of posts, telecommunications and information technology; Nasrul Hamid of power, energy, and mineral resources; Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury of shipping; Md. Zakir Hossain of primary and mass education; Meher Afroze of women and children affairs; Swapan Bhattacharjee of local government, rural development and cooperatives; Enamur Rahman of relief and disaster; Zahid Ahsan Russell of youth and sports; and Mohibbur Rahman of disaster management and relief ministry.

The court also imposed travel ban on nine former MPs, including Abu Sayeed Al Mahmood Swapon, SK Helal Uddin, AKM Sorwar Jahan, SK Afil Uddin, Enamul Haque, Benazir Ahmed, Kazi Nabil Ahmed and Shahidul Islam Bakul.

Earlier on 29 August, the court imposed a ban on nine former ministers and five former members of parliaments from traveling abroad.

The former ministers facing the ban are former minister of health Jahid Maleque, former minister of social welfare Dipu Moni, former minister of education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, former minister of food Sadhan Chandra Mazumder, former minister of industries Nurul Mazid Mahmud Humayun, former minister of shipping Shahjahan Khan, former minister of food Qamrul Islam, former minister of Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs Kujendro Lala Tripura and former state minister for industries Kamal Ahmed Mazumder.

Besides, the court imposed a travel ban on 10 individuals, including former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, his wife, daughter and son.