The ruling Awami League has urged the Election Commission to be alert over the circulation of black money during the national polls.

Its call came on Wednesday (Dec 26), when a party delegation met the Commissioners to lodge complaints on its supporters being attacked across the country.

Speaking to the media after the meeting at the EC offices, AL Advisory Council member HT Imam said they have also proposed to suspend online money transfer or mobile banking services on Election Day.

“We urged the Commission to remain alert against use of black money and muscle power. The commission has already taken different steps in curbing muscle power in the polls,” said Imam, the co-chairman of the party’s Election Conducting Committee.

He claimed that a huge amount of cash was being circulated ahead of the Dec 30 voting.

 “Police seized one of the black money holders recently. We urge the commission to take steps against black money holders,” said Imam, who serves as the political affairs adviser to the prime minister with the rank of a Cabinet member.

On Tuesday (Dec 25), the Rapid Action Battalion arrested three people from an office at Dhaka’s Motijheel with Tk 80 million in cash and bank cheques worth Tk 100 million.

The elite police unit told the media that one of the suspects was an ex-staffer at the ‘Hawa Bhaban’, a building at Banani that had been the centre of power during the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami government.

It also named a former aide to BNP acting chief Tarique Rahman in the investigation into the seizure of money.

RAB says the seized money was part of Tk 1.5 billion brought illegally from abroad to influence parliamentary elections.

“We’ve foiled a horrible conspiracy. Around Tk 1.5 billion came from Dubai through Hundi. The aim was to influence the national election,” RAB Director General Benazir Ahmed said at a news conference.

The money was confiscated from export-import firm and contractor United Corporations’ office when its Managing Director Ali Haider was arrested.

After finding an election campaign poster of Miah Nuruddin Ahmad Apu, a former assistant personal secretary to Tarique, the RAB raided his Amena Enterprise offices in Gulshan and arrested two officials— General Manager Joynal Abedin and Office Secretary Alamgir Hossain.   

RAB said Joynal is a former staffer of the Hawa Bhaban.

Apu is running on the BNP’s ticket from the Shariatpur-3 seat in the Dec 30 elections.