HC asks for phone call recording of ACC officer demanding bribe

The High Court (HC) has asked for the recording of a phone call in which an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigation officer allegedly demanded bribe from Pirojpur District Registrar Abdul Quddus Hawlader, and his wife Mahinur Begum, in a case filed by the ACC against them of acquiring assets outside their known income.

If there is any video recording, the court has asked for it to be submitted, too, on 7 March, the HC bench comprising Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Mohiuddin Shamim passed the order on Tuesday after hearing a writ petition.

The accused investigation officer is working as an assistant director at the ACC's head office in the capital's Segunbagicha.

Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik told reporters the HC would issue the next order after verifying the call records.

According to the ACC sources, Abdul Quddus Hawladar, while working as the sub-registrar of Dhaka Sadar, committed numerous irregularities and corruption. The ACC is investigating the allegations against him and his wife. It found he had a net worth of Tk90 lakh and his wife had Tk1.05 crore.

The ACC filed two separate cases against the couple on 22 October last year.

According to the writ petition, the assistant director questioned the couple during the investigation. During the interrogation, Quddus Hawladar provided his brother Matiur Rahman's phone number to the assistant director.

Quddas complained in the writ petition that since then, the ACC official has been asking Motiur Rahman for bribes to get rid of the case.

Then they filed the case but the ACC appointed the same assistant director as the investigating officer of the case. The couple applied to the ACC chairman requesting to change the investigation officer. Getting no response, they filed a writ petition in the HC.

During the writ hearing on Tuesday, the couple's lawyer Kamal Ahmed raised the issue of bribery in a phone call and the court asked for the records.