ACC sues MP Bodi, ex-state ministers Mannan, Mahbubur

The Anti-Corruption Commission today sued an incumbent lawmaker and two former state ministers on charges of amassing illegal wealth.

The accused are Awami League’s Cox’s Bazar-4 lawmaker Abdur Rahman Bodi and former state minister for water resources Mahbubur Rahman and state minister for housing and public works Abdul Mannan Khan.

ACC Deputy Directors Khairul Huda, Nasir Uddin and Abdus Subhan filed separate cases with the Ramna Police Station in Dhaka around 4:00pm, Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya, media and public relations officer of the anti-graft body, told reporters.

The ACC decided to sue the trio after getting evidence against them during its investigation that began on January 22.

The wealth statements submitted before the ninth and tenth parliamentary elections said the wealth of Mahbubur and his wife increased to Tk 7.61 crore from Tk 41.88 lakh in five years only.

The amount of agricultural land owned by Mahbubur, who was elected unopposed in the January 5, 2014 polls from Patuakhali-4 constituency, also rose from only 20 acres to 2,865 acres, an astounding increase by 143 times.

Mannan Khan's property value rose to over Tk 5.25 crore from Tk 5.39 lakh, according to his wealth statements submitted to the Election Commission before the 2008 and the immediate past January 5 elections. In the statements, he, however, did not mention the value of his ancestral property.

Mannan's statements also indicate that his annual income has soared over the years. Five years back, his yearly income was over Tk 1.85 lakh, which increased to over Tk 1.51 crore last year.

The property value of Bodi rose to Tk 2.88 crore from Tk 47.78 lakh in the last five years, according to his wealth statements submitted to the EC before the 2008 and the January 5 elections.

Five years back his yearly income was only Tk 2 lakh, which increased to Tk 15 crore last year.