Irregularities by BPC’s concern: HC orders ACC to finish probe in 3 months

The High Court today directed the Anti-Corruption Commission to finish the investigation into the case filed for irregularities of Tk 472 crore by Standard Asiatic Oil Company (SAOCL) -- a subsidiary of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation BPC -- in the next three months.

The ACC has been asked to submit a report before the court after complying with the directives.

The HC bench of Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat Lizu passed the order during a hearing of a suo muto (voluntary) rule on the issue.

Earlier in the day, ACC's lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan submitted a report before the HC saying that the ACC has been investigating the case filed against Moinuddin Ahmed, who was one of the five directors of SAOCL as well as the president of its management advisory committee.

Ahmed was found to be involved in the irregularities.

His bank accounts have been frozen and a travel ban has been imposed on him by the trial court, Khan said.

Following a report published on The Daily Star on November 4 last year, the HC bench on November 6 last year issued the suo muto rule asking the ACC and the government to explain why their inaction to take action against the irregularities of SAOCL should not be declared illegal.

"The government has been deprived of Tk 472.7 crore for 21 counts of irregularities by Standard Asiatic Oil Company, a subsidiary of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, found an audit," said The Daily Star report.

The disclosure comes after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) pored over the company's books from fiscal 2012-13 to 2019-20 and made field visits.

On January 15 this year, the CAG's office submitted a compliance report through Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik, saying that the report published on The Daily Star on November 4 last year under the headline "A BPC concern robs state coffers of Tk 472.7cr" is authentic.