MAGURCHHARA, PHULBARI ISSUES
ACC finds Khaleda not involved
Moneruzzaman Mission
The Anti-Corruption Commi-ssion will not file any case against former prime minister Khaleda Zia in connection with alleged irregularities in the Magurchhara gas field blow-out compensation and the Phulbari coal project as the commission has found Khalned not involved in the issues. 
'After a preliminary inquiry, the commission has not found any evidence and witnesses to prove the allegations of irregularities in Magurchhara and Phulbari issues against Khaleda Zia,' said the commission secretary, Mokles ur Rahman, at a regular briefing on Thursday.
'The inquiry against Khaleda in the issues will be suspended and no first information report will be filed as the allegations against her have no merit,' he said.
Mokles said the commission's officer Farid Uddin Ahmed had conducted an inquiry into the allegations against Khaleda over the Magurchhara and Phulbari issues for more than a month and sought that the inquiry should be suspended.
Successive governments, including the immediate past BNP-led government, have failed to realise Tk 3900 crore in compensation from the US company Chevron, a successor to Occidental, over the blow-out that took place in 1997 at the Magurchhara gas field in Moulvibazar.
There have been allegations that the Phulbari coal field was awarded to the UK-based Asia Energy without following the required procedure.
Replying to a query, Mokles said Chevron was paying 5 per cent of additional gas to Petrobangla from Magurchhara in compensation for the blow-out after it signed a supplementary agreement in 2005.
Petrobangla officials said the supplementary agreement that provided Petrobangla with 5 per cent of additional gas was signed in 1998 to extend the original production sharing contract. The BNP-led government on July 1, 2002 asked Occidental to pay $685 million in compensation for the Magurchhara blow-out.
As for Phulbari coal field, Mokles said the leasing of the Phulbari coal field was still under process. 'As the leasing is still under process, there is no point in carrying out an inquiry.'
The BNP government in 1994 gave an exploration licence to the Australian BHP for the Phulbari coal field in reported violation of some rules and the Awami League government allowed the BHP to hand over the licence to Asia Energy.
There have been allegations that the Asia Energy was awarded the exploration licence by the government in such a way that it would need to provide the company with the mining licence.
Replying to another query, Mokles said the commission was continuing with the inquiry into the allegations of irregularities against Khaleda and another former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, in awarding Niko Resources two gas fields.
NEW AGE
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