The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has served one of its officials with a show cause notice over issuance of a letter to journalist summoning him for a media report.
The letter sent to Bangla Tribune Special Correspondent Dipu Sarwar has sparked protests by journos, who described it as”indecent summons”.
Following demonstration by journalists in front of the ACC offices on Wednesday (Jun 26), the ACC said its Director Sheikh Mohammad Fanafillah has been served with a show cause notice.
Speaking to reporters, ACC spokesperson Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya said, “Two reporters have been summoned and it has come to the commission’s attention that the letters issued to them were separate. The official has been show caused for negligence.”
Earlier in the day, ACC Chairman Iqbal Mahmood told the media at an event that steps will be taken if the official has done anything wrong.
“As far as I know, there is a format for letters [issued to summon an individual] and if the letter [sent to the journalist] was not in line with that, then measures will be initiated against that official,” he said.
In a letter on Tuesday, the ACC asked Bangla Tribune Special Correspondent Dipu Sarwar of to appear before it over a report published about now suspended Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Mizan who has been accused of bribing ACC director Enamul Basir with Tk 4 million to influence a probe against him.
The letter by ACC Director Fanafillah asked Sarwar to appear at the ACC offices on Wednesday (Jun 26) and threatened of legal consequences on non-compliance.
“Your testimony is needed over the allegations of ACC Director Enamul Basir receiving Tk 4 million from DIG Mizan,” the notice read. “You have been asked to be present at the office of the signatory in 26/06/2019 about the aforementioned complaint otherwise legal action will be taken.”
Bangla Tribune ran a report on Jun 23 ‘Who is the mysterious Doyas in conversation with DIG Mizan?’ on audio clips of conversation between DIG Mizan and a Bangladeshi expatriate one Abdul Doyas.