B'desh to begin corruption trials in March

BANGLADESH: .Bangladesh said it will begin trials of the country's allegedly corrupt politicians in March, as seven more prominent figures were arrested Sunday as part of the government's anti-graft drive.

Police said joint security forces led by the military arrested five in the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, as they appeared before an anti-corruption panel to explain how they amassed wealth far in excess of their income.

They were arrested as they sought to meet a Sunday deadline set by the panel to explain their wealth or face confiscation of assets.

The arrests came as the government announced it would start trials of the allegedly corrupt politicians in March.

"Some trials will start by March. It's happy news. We have to proceed cautiously because we are investigating the corruption cases carefully," interim cabinet member Moinul Hossain told reporters.

"Some say that big criminals are (still) roaming around. We've discussed the issue, and no one will get reprieve," Hossain said, adding all the "big names" would be caught in time.

Among those arrested was Mosharraf Hossain, an aviation minister in the 1996-2001 Awami League government, said Wing Commander Nurani of the Rapid Action Battalion, a security force comprised of police and the military.

"His name is in the corruption list. Our teams picked him up from the government's anti-corruption office in Dhaka," Nurani, who uses one name, said.

Police also arrested a former minister of the outgoing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Mirza Abbas, and two of its ex-lawmakers, Hafiz Ibrahim and Mohammad Ghiasuddin.

A top power ministry bureaucrat, A.N.H. Akhter Hossain, influential city council commissioner Abdul Kaiyum and the BNP chief of the northeastern city of Sylhet, Ariful Haq Chowdhury, were also arrested. "We have several teams at the office. We are arresting those whose names have appeared on the corruption list," Nurani said.

Ghiasuddin and Chowhdury were arrested after they surrendered to courts outside Dhaka.

All seven were named by the panel as among the country's top 50 corrupt people, whose wealth does not match their income. The commission on Thursday ordered the 50 to explain their wealth within three days or face confiscation of their assets.

The arrests bring to at least 36 the number of high-profile detainees with links to both the BNP and main opposition Awami League in jail as part of an anti-graft drive launched by an interim government that came into office in January after months of violent political turmoil.

Also on Sunday, former army chief lieutenant general Hasan Mashud Chowdhury took over as head of the country's anti-corruption committee.

Dhaka, Monday, AFP