42 citizens’ allegations untrue, baseless: CEC

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda has dismissed the allegations brought against him by 42 distinguished citizens over his alleged indulgence in corruption and misdeeds and termed it as baseless, untrue and unexpected.

“The allegations brought against the commission are totally undesirable and unacceptable, Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda said on Thursday.

While addressing a press conference at his commission office in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area of Dhaka this afternoon, the CEC said it may create confusions among people’s minds and thus he arranged the press conference to make it clear before the nation.

On December 14, a total of 42 eminent citizens brought a bundle of allegations against Election Commission for its indulgence in corruption and misdeeds. On the same day, in a letter, they urged President Md Abdul Hamid to constitute a Supreme Judicial Council to investigate the matter under Article 96 of the constitution.

Citing the allegations, Huda, chief of the constitutional body, said there is no chance of misappropriating the fund allocated for training purpose and the allegation of irregularities in recruitment process has been brought deliberately.

About the allegation on purchasing equipment of Electronic Voting Machine, he said the EVM system has been introduced in order to speed up the country’s overall electioneering processes.

And the commission was not directly involved in purchasing of the equipment, Huda said turning down the allegation.

About the allegations of irregularities in national and local bodies’ elections, he said the 2018’s national elections were observed by a number of local and foreign level observers but none of them, even mass media raised any question.

Rather, the commission has postponed elections in many local bodies due to allegations of irregularities, the CEC said.

“Parliamentary and local bodies’ elections were being held under smooth supervision of the commission amid fierce competition where voters turnout was 60 to 80 percent,” Huda said.

Referring to the allegation that has been brought holding the EC responsible for people’s mistrust in the elections, he said, “The allegation is blatant baseless.”