The two were among those who were picked up in high profile raids by the joint forces on Monday.

The same court also sent Barisal City Corporation (BCC) Mayor Mujibor Rahman Sarwar to Dhaka Central Jail with a recommendation for 30 days' detention. Police in a separate forwarding report placed before the court alleged that as a BNP leader he accumulated a huge amount of money and properties through corruption, using his political clout.

Meanwhile, the army-led joint forces twice went to the Gulshan residence of former finance minister M Saifur Rahman yesterday afternoon but they did not disclose why they had gone there.

Sources said about five members of the joint forces went to Saifur's house around 5:00pm and stayed there for about 15 minutes guarding the main entrance.

As they left the place, another team of troops arrived at the house and stayed there for several minutes.

A caretaker of the house told journalists that the forces went there around 5:00pm and left a few minutes later.

He said Saifur Rahman was in the house then but the forces did not talk to him. He also said they talked to the staff of the house and left saying there was 'no problem'.

The joint forces sources however said their presence at Saifur's house was not a raid rather it was a routine security check on the former finance minister's residence during patrol.

Saifur Rahman's son Naser Rahman, who is also a former BNP lawmaker, is currently in jail on graft charges. The joint forces arrested him during their first round of crackdown on high profile corruption suspects including political leaders.

Meanwhile, intelligence officials started quizzing detained AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil, former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, and former BNP lawmaker and Partex Group Chairman MA Hashem taking them to undisclosed places. The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka sent each of them to four-day remand on Tuesday.

Gulshan police brought allegations of corruption against AL leader and former health minister Sheikh Selim saying that during AL's last stint in state power he amassed a large amount of properties and money through corruption under the shelter of the erstwhile premier Sheikh Hasina, who is also his cousin.

In the forwarding report placed before the court, Gulshan police also said Selim was involved in a conspiracy to create an anarchic situation in the country.

Investigation officer (IO) of the case, Sub-Inspector (SI) Aminur Rashid of Gulshan police station, said Selim needed to be remanded for seven days to find out vital clues of his involvement in corruption.

Moreover, the IO placed before the court a proposal for a 30-day detention for Selim, recommended by the authorities concerned.

SI Sarwar Hossain of the same police station produced Abdul Awal Mintoo before the court seeking a seven-day remand. He also placed a forwarding report where he mentioned that Mintoo acquired a large amount of wealth and properties through corruption by being affiliated with a political party while he was the president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).

Mintoo was also placed before the court with a recommendation for detention of 30 days.

Our correspondent from Barisal reported that a task force of the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday started investigating in Barisal the allegations against detained Barisal City Corporation (BCC) Mayor Mujibor Rahman Sarwar.

The task force led by Maj Abdul Hye yesterday measured the BCC mayor's house at Sadhur Battala in Barisal city and estimated the value of his immovable and movable properties there. The team also examined some files of BCC in Nagar Bhaban.

The task force comprising officials from the army, ACC, tax department, police and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) went to Sarwar's house yesterday and searched the place for several hours breaking open locked almirahs, drawers and cabinets. They found some clothes, gift items and documents there, sources said.

The sources also said the task force earlier interrogated BCC officials about Sarwar's alleged corruption in appointing a large number of BCC employees flouting proper procedures. The allegations against him also include amassing a large amount of money through nepotism in awarding business contracts -- a practice which ended up producing low-quality work for BCC, and allotting BCC stalls, shops and markets to people in exchange for bribes.

Sources said cases against Sarwar might be filed by the task force soon.

REVELATIONS
Jalil, Mintoo, and General Secretary of the Gulshan Unit of AL Wakil Ahmed alias Wakil Commissioner gave sensational information during interrogation by the joint forces about corruption of AL high-ups, and disclosed the details of what had been happening behind the much talked about April 30, 2004 deadline announced by Jalil for toppling the immediate past four-party alliance government, sources claimed.

The sources also claimed that Wakil Ahmed told the joint forces that Jalil had been involved in extortions. The three were interrogated separately at first and then together.

Sources said Jalil however denied the allegation of taking bribes in exchange for AL nominations for the stalled parliamentary election.

Several businessmen paid different amounts of money to the party fund voluntarily at different times while big firms like Bashundhara Group donated large amounts, the detainees told the joint forces, according to the claims of the sources.

Sources also said quoting Jalil that the April 30 deadline for a supposed overthrow of the immediate past four-party alliance government came from Jalil by chance. Jalil was assigned to supervise the movement on the street while the inner activities of the party were looked after by party chief Sheikh Hasina.

The April 30 deadline was designed as a trump card in the movement against the erstwhile government with a view to influencing 70-lawmakers of BNP to defect, the sources said. Former BNP lawmaker Abu Hena, who finally defected, had demanded Tk 70 crore for the proposed defection of 70 BNP lawmakers, Mintoo said in his statement to the joint forces, according to the claims of the sources.

Proshika, an NGO, was tasked with the job of supplying more than 10 thousand people for a demonstration to make the four-party government step down by the deadline, the sources claimed.

CORRUPT CBA LEADER BAKIR
The Anti-corruption Commission yesterday filed a case with Motijheel police station in the capital against Sonali Bank CBA leader BM Bakir Hossain and his wife Nazma Hossain for concealing information on their statements of wealth submitted to the commission.

ACC Assistant Director Mohammad Jahangir Alam filed the case saying the couple's undisclosed wealth worth more than Tk 1.25 crore was unearthed following submission of their wealth statements.

Bakir is now in custody of the law enforcers on corruption charges.