3 govt officials finally charged

A Dhaka court yesterday used its inherent power to include three labour ministry officials in the charge sheet of the murder case filed over the Rana Plaza collapse in Savar in April 2013.

The investigating officer (IO) of the case found involvement of the three in the crimes. But the labour ministry refused to give its approval to bring charges against them.

According to law, government's prior approval is required to give a charge sheet against a government official.

The IO, however, put their names in the charge sheet along with 38 other accused, and the court yesterday showed them as accused in the case filed over the country's deadliest industrial disaster.

At least 1,136 people, mostly garment workers, were killed and more than 2,500 injured in the building collapse that evoked bitter global criticism of the standard of labour and human rights in Bangladesh.

Since then, the ready-made garment sector, considered as the lifeline of the country's economy, has been going through a massive reform to regain the confidence of international buyers and the global community.

Yesterday, Senior Judicial Magistrate Al Amin took into cognisance the charges against 41 people, including the three officials.

He also issued arrest warrants against 24 fugitives who include the three officials -- Deputy Chief Inspector (Mills & Factories) Jamsedur Rahman, and Inspectors (Engineering) Yusuf Ali and Shahidul Islam.

The court also directed police to submit a report on execution of the warrants by January 27.

Poor inspection by government agencies was one of the major reasons behind the building collapse. Government officials issued safety certificates for the building without inspecting the spot.

Sohel Rana, owner of Rana Plaza, constructed the unauthorised building on a swampy land in Savar, using his political clout and bribing the local administration and government officials. The nine-storey building housed five garment factories on its upper floors.

More than two years after the disaster, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on June 1 pressed murder charges against 41 people, including Rana, for their alleged role in the incident.

The accused also include Rana's parents, owners of four factories, the then mayor of Savar municipality and 14 government officials.

Of the 41 accused, only Rana is in jail, 16 are on bail and 24 are on the run.

CHARGES AGAINST GOVT OFFICIALS

IO Bijoy Krishna Kar, CID assistant superintendent of police, found involvement of 14 officials of different ministries and departments in the crimes.

After receiving applications from the IO, several government offices gave approval to bring charges against 10 of their officials, but the labour ministry and the public works department (PWD) didn't do so for its four officials.

The IO, however, included the names of the four officials in the charge sheet. Later, the PWD approved bringing charges against its official, Deputy Chief Inspector Belayet Hossain.

Yesterday, Senior Judicial Magistrate Al Amin said though the labour ministry did not give approval to bring charges against its three officials, the court included their names in the charge sheet, applying its inherent power.

Talking to reporters, Anwarul Kabir Babul, additional public prosecutor of the court, said there is no legal bar now to start trial of the government officials.

If law enforcers fail to arrest the fugitives, the court will order police to publish advertisements, asking the fugitives to appear before it within a stipulated time.

If they don't do so even after that, it could try them in absentia.

In another case filed over the disaster, 18 people were charged for "violating building codes" in constructing the building. The Senior Judicial Magistrate's Court had earlier taken into cognisance the charges against them.