Purbachal Plot Scam: Ex-Rajuk boss, businessman land in jail

Rejecting their bail prayers, a Dhaka court yesterday sent Amber Group Chairman Showkat Aziz Russell and ex-chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha Iqbal Uddin Chowdhury to prison in a case filed for obtaining land in Purbachal illegally.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate's Court-12 also allowed the Anti-Corruption Commission, which filed the case against the duo and six others, to quiz them at jail gate for two days.

The ACC arrested Iqbal, who was Rajuk chairman between 2001 and 2004, from Paribagh, and Showkat, also chairman of the executive committee of United Commercial Bank Limited, from Gulshan in the capital yesterday morning, a day after it lodged the case with Motijheel Police Station.

The other six accused are Showkat's brother Ashfaq Aziz Rubel, also a director of Partex Group, and five ex-officials of Rajuk -- SD Foyez, AKM Wahedul Islam, SM Jafarullah, HM Jahirul Haq and Rezaul Karim Tarafdar.

According to the case statement, Showkat and Ashfaq, also chairman of the executive committee of City Bank, applied for a 10-katha plot in Purbachal New Town Project on the outskirts of the capital under the industrialist category on August 23, 2001. The two, who were among 32,000 plot seekers, deposited Tk 1.5 lakh with Rajuk.

Rajuk later allotted plots to applicants, but the duo didn't get any, it read.

On December 18, 2003, they withdrew their deposits. Rajuk then cancelled their application. “They didn't apply for any plot again,” said the case statement.

After the first phase of plot allotment, Rajuk on June 1, 2004 decided to hold a board meeting to allot plots to 1,000 more applicants.

Analysing the minutes of the board meeting held the following day, the ACC found that “Rajuk allotted two 10-katha plots to Showkat and Ashfaq against their cancelled application without any recommendation from the selection committee.”

Initially, a special ACC team looked into the allegation. Last year, ACC Deputy Assistant Director Silvia Ferdous was given the responsibility to carry out the probe.

The ACC filed the case, as the allegation was found true in primary investigation, she said.

The commission is now looking into 170 such allegations of irregularities in allotting plots by Rajuk.