ACC sues Anis, wife Sumi for illegal wealth
The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday filed two cases against expelled Jubo League office secretary Kazi Anisur Rahman and his wife Sumi Rahman for amassing about Tk 14 crore beyond known sources of income.
Anis, who fled after the recent drive against illegal casinos, is now reportedly in the UAE.
Meanwhile, the ACC wrote to the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) of Bangladesh Bank, seeking information of wealth of the people whose names have come up after the drive.
“We asked BFIU to give us accounts information of the people whose bank accounts are being monitored and have been frozen in the last few days,” said ACC’s Public Relations Officer Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya, quoting the letter sent on Monday.
“We didn’t give any list to BFIU,” he said.
ACC Director Syed Iqbal Hossain, who is supervising the ongoing enquiry, echoed the same and said, “There is no question of preparing any list.”
So far, the anti-graft body has lodged eight cases against those whose connections have been found with illegal casinos.
ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anowar Prodhan filed the cases against Anis and his wife with its Integrated District Office in the capital’s Segunbagicha.
The Daily Star obtained copies of the FIRs.
In the enquiry, the ACC found Anis has a seven-storey building worth Tk 2.63 crore in the capital’s Mohammadpur, a 1,400sqft flat worth Tk 1.54 crore; another flat worth Tk 60 lakh in Dhanmondi, a shop worth Tk 28.7 lakh at Multiplan Centre, a 1,300sqft flat worth TK 32.15 lakh; another 820sqft flat worth Tk 18.15 lakh in Swamibagh, 24.5 decimal of land worth Tk 1.38 lakh in Gopalganj’s Muksudpur, a filling station on 80 decimal of land worth Tk 7 lakh in Gopalganj, and four decimal of land worth Tk 9.68 lakh in Keraniganj.
His total immovable properties are worth Tk 5.74 crore.
Besides, Anis has several investments. He has invested Tk 85.5 lakh in Arafin Enterprise Company, Tk 36 lakh in Ma Filling Station, and Tk 3 lakh in prize bond. He has a car worth Tk 11.25 lakh.
The BFIU in its enquiry has found that Anis concealed information of Tk 5.35 crore found in his bank accounts, the FIR says.
“Analysing documents, including Anis’s income tax files, media reports, and secret information, it was found that Anis actually does not have any legal source of income. It is primarily proved that he amassed the moveable and immovable properties from casinos,” reads the FIR.
It said the enquiry would continue as investigators found primary evidence that Anis bought 12 flats at Eastern Housing in Shantinagar, a flat in Jigatola and a poultry farm and a hatchery on around 100 bigha of land in Gopalganj. He also accumulated properties around Dhaka worth Tk 200 crore illegally.
Sources said his relatives were collecting rent from his flats and shops.
His wife Sumi has a four-storey building on 3,400sqft land worth Tk 1.26 crore in the capital’s Shukrabad. She has other immovable properties worth Tk 56.65 lakh.
The ACC did not find any legal source of her income, reads another FIR.
On October 23, the anti-graft body requested the Special Branch of Police to impose travel ban on both the accused and 20 other people as part of its investigation into their involvement in illegal casinos and accumulation of wealth from unknown sources of income.
The ban was imposed after the ACC’s investigation team found primary evidence against them.
In line with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s directive, law enforcement agencies began a crackdown on casinos and illegal businesses.
The law enforcers arrested expelled Dhaka South Jubo League Organising Secretary Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan on September 18. After his arrest, they also arrested a number of Awami League, Jubo League, and Krishak League leaders in the capital.
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