HC orders submission of wealth statements for govt officials

The High Court (HC) asked the authorities concerned to submit the wealth statements of government officers and employees as per the laws.

It also ordered to submit a progress report within three months.  

An HC bench of Justice Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Ebadat Hossain passed the order after hearing a writ petition on Tuesday (July 2).

Advocate Subir Nandi Das conducted the hearing on behalf of the writ. The state was represented by Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik, and lawyer Fazlul Haq moved for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Mentioning that corruption is a barrier to governance and development in the country, the court said all possible measures must be taken to stop corruption and money laundering. People from all walks of life must come together to form a movement against corruption.

The High Court also noted that many government officials are acquiring excessive wealth due to the improper application of the law, which is undesirable.

Advocate Subir Nandi Das of the Supreme Court filed a writ in the High Court as a public interest litigation yesterday (July 1), seeking directions for government officials to submit and publish their asset statements on a website, as required by law.
10 people, including the cabinet secretary, the secretary of public administration, the secretary of home affairs, the chairman of ACC, and the governor of Bangladesh Bank, were made respondents to the writ.