The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has brought allegations against several high-profile individuals, including two former Members of Parliament and a former personal aide to the former agriculture minister, regarding misuse of power, corruption, and the illicit accumulation of wealth, said a press release from the agency on Sunday (8 September).
Abdus Shahid, the former MP for Moulvibazar-4, has been accused of exploiting his position to engage in various forms of corruption. He allegedly seized land belonging to the Forest Department to establish a tea estate and installed streetlights and deep tube wells in the tea garden at the government's expense, violating public laws.
Investigators have also uncovered information about Shahid’s significant assets, including houses and flats in Dhaka and other areas, as well as property registered in his wife’s and children's names, amounting to several crores of takas.
Additionally, there is evidence that Shahid's wife owns a house in Canada’s 'Begum Para,' suggesting a vast accumulation of illegal wealth both domestically and abroad. The Anti-Corruption Commission has decided to initiate a public inquiry after preliminary investigations validated these findings.
Similarly, Habibur Rahman, the former MP for Bogura-5, faces charges of abusing his authority to amass wealth through corrupt and unethical activities. Investigators have identified properties worth crores in his name, as well as in the names of his wife and family members.
Further inquiries have revealed significant illegal assets both in the country and abroad, prompting the commission to launch a formal investigation.
In another case, Maksud, the former Personal Assistant (PA) to Dr Abdur Razzaq, the former minister of agriculture, has been implicated in corrupt practices within the ministry. Maksud is accused of using his influence to secure contracts for his own firm, only to withdraw funds without completing the projects.
He is also alleged to have misappropriated funds from various ministry projects. Investigators have uncovered substantial assets in his and his family's names, and a preliminary intelligence probe confirmed the existence of vast illegal wealth both in Bangladesh and abroad. As a result, the commission has decided to move forward with an open inquiry into the allegations.
ACC has taken these steps after intelligence investigations found the allegations to be credible, and the individuals involved will now face a full public investigation.
