'Kakra' Manik owns Tk 150cr wealth

Graft suspect businessman Sheikh Farid Ahmed owns wealth worth Tk 150 crore according to his wealth statement submitted yesterday to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
ACC Director General (Administration) Col Hanif Iqbal said this at a regular press briefing at the commission headquarters.
The Chandpur office of the anti-graft watchdog had earlier issued him the notice to submit his wealth statement.
Farid's wife Munira Ahmed submitted it on behalf of her husband, as he is now behind bars. During the anti-graft drive, joint forces detained him on March 31.
Wealth of Farid, general sales agent (GSA) of Malaysian Airlines and managing director of Silkway Cargo Service, as mentioned in the statement, includes 25 plots and shops in Narayanganj and Chandpur districts.
After the BNP-led four-party alliance assumed power Farid, also known as Kakra Manik, developed relations with some influential BNP leaders including former premiere Khaleda Zia's sons Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko.
He also allegedly had underhand dealings with several former lawmakers, ministers and leaders of BNP including Khaleda's political secretary Harris Chowdhury and former state minister Meer Nasir.
Sources said Farid also helped several key BNP leaders smuggle money off the country, while he himself allegedly smuggled over Tk 50 crore to a deputy minister of Malaysia.
Farid used to offer gift including money and luxurious cars to the BNP influential persons, said the sources.
During interrogation, he confessed to smuggling Tk 8.5 crore to the Malaysian deputy minister since 2004.
Now-defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption in 2004 initiated an investigation into allegation of smuggling $70 lakh by him, but the process stalled midway.
Farid endeavoured to business as a crab exporter in 1996 in association with one of his brothers-in-law after he arrived in Dhaka the same year from Chandpur.
He was appointed the GSA of Malaysian Airlines in 2000 and allegedly got involved in hundi business.
After BNP came to power in 2001, he began establishing close links with influential leaders by offering them gift. He gave Arafat Rahman Koko a sports car the same year.
He also told interrogators he presented former BNP lawmaker Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu with a BMW car. Former state minister Meer Mohammad Nasir Uddin also used to take money from him for distributing relief in his constituency.
ACC BRIEFING
The ACC will, if necessary, re-examine investigation and enquiry reports to ensure objectivity of the reports.
The ACC yesterday also approved filing of cases against former AL lawmaker Mokbul Hossain's son Masudur Rahman and his wife, forest conservator Ali Kabir Haider, Chittagong City Corporation Mayor ABM Mohiuddin and his wife Hasina Mohiuddin.
The anti-corruption watchdog meanwhile submitted charge sheet against former state minister for communications Salahuddin Ahmed and his wife Hasina Ahmed accusing them of concealing information of wealth worth Tk 29 lakh.
Masudur Rahman and his wife Salma Rahman are to be accused of amassing income of Tk 3.29 crore and Tk 5.87 crore -- from clandestine sources.
The ACC will charge forest conservator Ali Kabir for amassing wealth worth Tk 92 lakh illegally.
The Mohiuddin couple will be charged for concealing Tk 2.38 crore in their wealth statements and earning Tk 3.84 crore through unknown sources.
The ACC took the decision of scrutinising reports again in the wake of allegations that the commission did not follow due procedure while filing some of its cases or conducting investigation.
"To make investigation and enquiry reports more objective, the commission has decided to re-examine the reports if necessary," said the ACC director general.
The supervising official would make field visits, if necessary, to verify the reports prepared by an investigation or enquiry officer, he added.
Several cases filed by the ACC including the ones against former premiers Khaleda and Sheikh Hasina are being challenged at higher courts on grounds of not following due procedure.
Meanwhile, the ACC is yet to submit charge sheet in the Gatco graft case although the investigation officer had submitted his report several weeks back. Sources in the ACC said the commission is re-examining the report.
The ACC is also re-examining the enquiry report on Niko graft case. The report found evidence of wrongdoings on both the former premiers' part, added the sources.
Meanwhile, two of the 11 graft suspects who had been served with ACC notices have submitted their wealth statements.
They are former adviser to a caretaker government Fazlul Huq and Shafiur Rahman Babu, son of former finance minister Saifur Rahman. The other nine have sought more time for submitting their wealth statements.