Ex-councillor of Ctg City Corporation, 5 others sued for providing certificates to Rohingya

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Monday filed a case accusing six persons including a former ward commissioner of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) and three Rohingya on charge of issuing citizenship and birth certificates to Rohingya.

Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) Sharif Uddin of ACC Integrated Office Chattogram filed the case with ACC Integrated Office Chattogram-1 accusing the six persons, said the ACC sources.

The accused are former councillor of Ward No-34 Patharghata Ward of CCC Mohammed Ismail Bali (49), Assistant of Birth Certificate Issue section of ward office Subarna Dutta, Rohingya broker Md Sirazaul Islam, and three Rohingyas Mohammed Ismail (56), his wife Meher Jan (42) and Ohida (26).

Among them, Ismail and Meher Jan are Bangladeshi passport and NID holders.

"The incident took place between 2017 to 2019. Ohida introduced herself as the daughter of Ismail and had applied for birth registration and citizenship certificate in September 2019 showing Ismail's NID," said DAD Sharif.

According to the case statements, following the application, Councillor Bali issued a certificate for Ohida on September 29, 2019.

Later with the help of broker Sirajul Islam Ohida went to Panchlaish Passport office on November 11, 2019 and applied for a Bangladeshi passport and provided her documents showing Meher Jan and Ismail as her parents. However, passport officials detained her after her fingerprint matched with a Rohingya database. During primary interrogation, Ohida admitted that Meher and Ismail were not her real parents.

The case statement also said Ismail and Meher Jan also collected their citizenship certificates signed by Ismail Bali from his ward and managed the Bangladeshi NID card under Kotowali Zone using the documents. Ohida also applied for NID using the certificate.

DAD Sharif said the case was lodged after the ACC found the proof of the irregularities.