Home Adviser says

Staff Correspondent

The caretaker government's antigraft drive has lost steam lately as 158 people detained in 85 cases have been bailed out by the higher court, home adviser said on Thursday.

The government, however, is taking steps to file appeals in these cases, MA Matin, home adviser and chairman, National Coordination Committee on Curbing Serious Crimes said Thursday while briefing senior officials on law and order in the home ministry conference room.
 
The drive will help regain the lost momentum after such appeals are heard and the cases decided, he added.
 
The pending graft cases will not be possible to be disposed of before the December general elections. The elected government, however, will have to take the responsibility of getting them disposed of in line with law, Matin added.
 
Earlier, he presided over the 43rd meeting of the national committee on Curbing Smuggling, attended by home secretary Abdul Karim, shipping secretary Sheikh AK Motaher Hossain, Bangladesh Rifles director general major general Shakil Ahmed and representatives from the Coastguards, police and other law enforcers.
 
Matin said national coordination committee has so far filed 512 cases against 222 persons, of whom 97 people have been convicted in 152 cases.
 
Besides, 228 cases have been filed against 108 people and another 187 complaints against 35 people are currently under investigation.
 
Asked if the government would be able to dispose of all the graft cases before the polls in December, the adviser said, "We had believed so, but disposal of cases is getting stuck due to the bail orders, stay orders and rule nisi against the government."
 
"We tried our best to complete trial of all the pending cases before the December polls, but in vain. We hope the next elected government will carry these forward and get them disposed of."
 
Matin differed on the notion that faulty probe and weak charge-framing led to such large-scale bails in the graft cases.
 
Instead, he said, the accused persons were slipping through legal loopholes.
 
He said the case proceedings were ongoing.
 
He said about 27,000 smuggling cases now lie pending with courts. Steps for setting up summary trial courts will be taken by the home ministry to dispose of the cases, the adviser said.
 
Asked if the government is taking any steps to rein in on the terrorists and miscreants flexing muscles ahead of the forthcoming polls, Matin said the terrorists would simply be nabbed when found and handed over to the law-enforcers.

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