Altaf Chy shown held in graft case 7 months into detention

After eight months of confinement, former home minister Altaf Hossain Choudhury was yesterday made an accused in a regular case filed for giving false information about his movable wealth of Tk 59 lakh and amassing wealth of Tk 2.56 crore beyond his known sources of income.
Altaf was arrested on May 29 last year and later shown arrested under section 16(2) of Emergency Power Rules. But the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case against him on December 18 last year after an investigation into his illegal wealth.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Golam Rabbani passed the order after ACC Deputy Director Moniruzzaman Khan, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted a petition for showing him arrested in the case.
In the FIR (first information report), it was mentioned that Altaf kept the wealth in his own name and the names of his wife Suraiya Akter and daughter Jubaida Akter.
In the wealth report submitted to the ACC, Altaf mentioned low price of the assets he purchased in his own and his wife's names.
The FIR said Altaf gave false information about loans and did not mention anything about the five firearms worth Tk 2 lakh, which he purchased between 1974 and 2002.
He also concealed information about three savings accounts with Standard Chartered Bank.
Altaf in his wealth statement said he had lent Tk 14 lakh to his wife Suraiya, but she said that her husband lent her Tk 17 lakh. Altaf also said he purchased a jeep at Tk 8 lakh while the real price of the vehicle was Tk 20.17 lakh. Besides, he showed low price of the car he purchased in his wife's name.
Altaf also said he took loans of Tk 68.27 lakh, adding that a loan of Tk 5.16 lakh was taken from Standard Chartered Bank in his own and his wife's names.
The former home minister submitted his wealth statement to the ACC on July 25 last year, saying that he has wealth worth Tk 3.25 crore.
Now defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAC) had filed four graft cases against him during the Awami League rule, but the cases were withdrawn following an order of the BNP-led alliance government.