A parliamentary body investigating irregularities during the tenure of former speaker Jamiruddin Sircar asked the House yesterday to strip Sircar of his MP status and recover around Tk 2.50 crore he, his deputy and the then chief whip took illegally as medical bills, additional fuel allowances and other facilities.
The all-party probe body yesterday submitted its report, the first of its kind in the history of the country's parliament, and recommended taking legal actions against Sircar, the then deputy speaker Akhtar Hamid Siddiqui and the then chief whip Khandaker Delwar Hossain.
The report says the three undermined the dignity of the House, indulged in widespread corruption and misuse of power.
The probe body has charged them with contempt of parliament for not appearing before the parliamentary committee despite being invited and asked the House to initiate contempt proceedings against them.
"It is the inherent power of a parliament to scrap membership of an MP for his/her misconduct no matter whether any specific provision exists or not," the probe report says.
The principal aims of this inherent power are to protect the dignity of the House and ensure people's confidence in it so that democratic system can remain effective, it says.
The white paper of the alleged corruption points out anomalies in taking medical bills, using unauthorised public vehicles and taking additional fuel allowances, corruption in procurement, beautification and arboriculture, recruitment, entertainment bills, allocation of residence for officials and receiving money from the Parliament Members' Club.