ACC sues BNP leader Mosharraf for money laundering

 

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday filed a case against former Health and Family Welfare Minister and BNP leader Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain on charge of siphoning off money.

 

ACC director Nasim Anwar filed the case with Ramna Police Station in the capital in the afternoon.

 

According to the first information report (FIR), Dr Mosharraf Hossain laundered British pound of about 8.04 lakh (equivalent to Tk 9.54 crore) to the United Kingdom when he was the Health and Family Welfare Minister during 2001-2006.

 

Earlier, the graft watchdog collected documents related to his graft allegations from the British government through the mutual legal assistance request (MLAR) of the Attorney General Office.

 

After examining the package of evidence and other documents, the ACC found that a fixed term deposit of about 8.04 lakh pound was deposited in a joint account (AC 108492) of Dr Mosharraf and his wife Bilkis Akter Hossain at Lloyds TSB Offshore Private Banking, Guernsey.

 

The Financial Investigation Unit, Bailiwick of Guernsey, in a report mentioned that the amount in his UK bank account remained frozen.

 

After examining the charge-sheet in a graft case filed against Dr Mosharraf on January 10, 2008, the FIR said, the ACC inquiry also found that he concealed the 8.04 lakh British pound in his wealth statement earlier submitted to the Commission.

 

The ACC will now look into whether there was the involvement of others, including Bilkis, in the money laundering incident during its investigation, the FIR said.

 

Dr Mosharraf and his wife opened the bank account in the UK bank without the approval of the Bangladesh Bank, which is a violation of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947.

Source: UNB Connect