The Anti-Corruption Commission has moved to impose international travel bans on a number of former ministers, lawmakers and bureaucrats of the ousted Awami League government, now facing massive allegations of amassing illegal wealth and money laundering.
Commission deputy director Md Jahangir Alam on Sunday submitted an application to court seeking a travel ban on 10 people, including former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, over corruption allegations against them, while in another development, the graft watchdog decided to launch inquiries against former ministers SM Rezaul Karim and Monnujan Sufian and three others.
Accepting the petition, Judge Mohammed Ash Shams Joglul Hossain of the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court in Dhaka issued the travel ban.
The nine others facing the travel ban are Asaduzzaman’s wife Lutful Tahmina Khan, son Shafi Midassir Khan, and daughter Safia Tasnim Khan, home ministry’s current joint secretary Dhananjoy Kumar Das and former additional secretary Md Harun-or-Rashid Biswas, the ministry’s public relations officer Sharif Mahmud Apu, administrative officer Mollah Ibrahim Hossain, home minister’s assistant personal secretary Monir Hossain, and former deputy inspector general of police Mollah Nazrul Islam.
In yet another development, Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court on Sunday ordered the authorities concerned to freeze 19 banks of Shah Kamal, former senior secretary to the disaster management and relief ministry, and his wife Farzana Siddiqua in connection with graft allegations.
Judge Mohammad Ash-Shams Joglul Hossain passed the order following a petition submitted by commission deputy director Md Mahbubul Alam, also the inquiry officer of the matter, said the agency’s public prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir.
Shah Kamal has Tk 5.75 crore in 12 accounts, while Tk 3.76 crore was found deposited in seven bank accounts of his wife.
Mahbubul Alam in his petition said that the couple had amassed a massive amount of money through illegal means and potential money laundering might happen if their bank accounts were not frozen immediately.
On August 17, the police arrested Shah Kamal from Dhaka’s Mohakhali area and he was sent to jail following court order.
Shah Kamal served as secretary from 2015 to 2019 and as a senior secretary from 2019 to 2020.
At least 60 people, including 27 former ministers and lawmakers, are coming under the international travel ban in three phases with 24 of them have already been issued travel bans, said anti-corruption officials.
Commission officials said that a handful of former ministers and lawmakers, bureaucrats, and their family members amassed a huge amount of illegal wealth through corruption in the past three terms of the Awami League government.
Most of the former lawmakers and ministers of the ousted Awami League government have either fled the country or gone into hiding since the fall of the regime through a student-led mass uprising on August 5.
Some of the former ministers and lawmakers left the country just before the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, while other former ministers and lawmakers facing corruption allegations are reportedly trying to flee.
Earlier in the first phase on August 29, the same court issued a travel ban on 14 former ministers and lawmakers accepting a petition submitted by the commission’s deputy director Abu Hena Ashiqur Rahman.
The first phase travel ban was issued against five former full ministers—Dipu Moni of social welfare; Zahid Maleque of health; Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury of education; Sadhan Chandra Majumder of food; Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun of industries; one deputy minister —Kamal Ahmed Majumder of industries; and eight former lawmakers—Salim Uddin; Mamunur Rashid Kiron; Kujendra Lal Tripura; Kajim Uddin; Noor-E-Alam Chowdhury Liton; Shahjahan Khan; Kamrul Islam; and Ziaur Rahman.
Also a five-member team led by anti-corruption deputy director Mostafizur Rahman investigating graft charges against 13 former ministers and lawmakers submitted an application to the commission last week for issuing a travel ban on all the 13 suspects.
The suspects are two former full ministers—Mohammad Hasan Mahmud of foreign affairs, Imran Ahmed of expatriate welfare and overseas employment; six former state ministers—Nasrul Hamid of power and energy; Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury of shipping; Zunaid Ahmed Palak of ICT; Zakir Hossain of primary and mass education; Meher Afroz Chumki of women and child affairs; Swapan Bhattacharya of local government, rural development and cooperatives; and five former lawmakers—Sarwar Jahan (Kushtia-1); Sheikh Afil Uddin (Jessore-1); Enamul Haque (Rajshahi-4); Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan (Jaipurhat-2); and Sheikh Helal (Bagerhat-1).
Still another inquiry team led by commission deputy director Jahangir Alam applied to the anti-corruption authority seeking travel ban yet another set of 13 other former ministers and lawmakers.
These 13 individuals are—seven full former ministers—Tipu Munshi of commerce; Anisul Huq of law; Tajul Islam of local government; Faridul Haque Khan of religious affairs; Hasanul Haque Inu of information; Golam Dastgir Gazi of textiles and jute; and former minister and Jatiya Party leader Anwar Hossain Manju; two former state ministers—Enamur Rahman of relief and disaster; and Zahid Ahsan Russell of youth and sports; and four former lawmakers—Benazir Ahmed (Dhaka-20); Kazi Nabil Ahmed (Jessore-3); Mohibbur Rahman (Patuakhali-4); and Shahidul Islam Bakul (Natore-1).
The anti-corruption commission on Sunday further decided to launch enquiries against five people, including former minister SM Rezaul Karim and state minister Begum Monnujan Sufian, over amassing illegal wealth through corruption.
The commission took the decision from its Segun Bagicha headquarters in Dhaka, said its secretary Khorsheda Yasmeen while talking to journalists at her office on the day.
The three other people to face its investigation are former state minister Monnujan’s assistant personal secretary and also her younger brother Md Sahabuddin, Sahabuddin’s daughter Shamima Sultana, and Monnujan’s sister’s son Yashin Arafat.
According to the allegations, Rezaul Karim, a former lawmaker of Pirojpur-1 constituency, amassed illegal wealth at home and aboard by means of irregularities, corruption and unethical activities through abuse of power.
He allegedly became owner of immovable assets at various places in Nazirpur of Barishal, Pirojpur and Dhaka, while he embezzled Tk 25 crore in the name of purchasing equipment and holding training under the ‘Livestock and Dairy Development’ project during his tenure as fisheries and livestock minister.
According to allegations, former state minister for labour and employment Begum Monnujan Sufian, her assistant personal secretary and younger brother Md Sahabuddin, his daughter Shamima Sultana, and her nephew Yashin Arafat amassed illegal wealth through corruptive practices and abuse of power.
Monnujan faces allegations of amassing illegal wealth, including a five-katha plot from Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha in Dhaka’s Sector-10, a three-storey house in Khulna, two cars, and 16.07 katha land at Moyuri Housing implemented by the Khulna Development Authority.
Md Sahabuddin, Shamima Sultana, and Yashin Arafat amassed wealth through illegally negotiating job appointments, postings and promotions during Monnujan’s tenure as state minister.
When asked, commission secretary Khorsheda Yasmeen said, ‘We are imposing travel ban on graft suspects as per law through court’s approval so they cannot flee the country.’
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