In Chittagong, the Anti-Corruption Commission(ACC) has found evidence that more than 55,000 fake voters including Rohingyas, were illegally included in the voter list through fraud. Therefore, the ACC has filed a case against four officials and employees, including Khorshed Alam, a former election officer of Chittagong district and now the director of the Election Commission Secretariat.
The case was filed at noon on Wednesday (June 16) by Sharif Uddin, deputy assistant director of the ACC integrated district office Chittagong-2.
The other accused are Mahfuzul Islam, a former high-ranking Assistant in the district election office, Russell Barua, a former office assistant and Mustafa Farooq, a technical expert in the Panchlaish police station election office.
According to the statement of case, the accused have committed offenses under Section 5 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act by abusing their power in collusion with each other and using fake identities, names and addresses in the voter list.
It has also been said that on October 21, 2015, former office assistant of Chittagong District Election Office Russell Barua, Panchlaish Thana Election Office Technical Expert Mostafa was given various goods including a laptop for use in Mirsarai Upazila. They took the laptop to Mirsarai. It was later officially acknowledged that the goods would be returned. However, Russell Barua and Mahfuzul Islam could not inform the senior district election office about the latest location of the laptop even though it was said that the laptop has been used in different upazillas. Practically by using that laptop, they illegally included 55,310 people in the voter list.
Though legal action was taken to find the laptop, the then District Election Officer Khorshed Alam did not take any steps to recover the specialized laptop used in the voter list and national identity card. He even tried to save the culprits by not bringing the matter to the notice of the authorities. Later, using those laptops and some other laptops, he illegally included 55,310 people in the voters' list.