Sylhet BNP leader Ariful, wife charge-sheeted by ACC

Ariful Haque Chowdhury

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed charge sheet against former Sylhet city BNP chief Ariful Haque Chowdhury and his wife Shyama Haque Chowdhury for accumulating wealth worth over Tk 2 and a half crores through corruption.
Investigation officer of the case, ACC assistant director of Comilla regional office, Shahin Ara Momtaj filed it with the chief Judicial Magistrate's Court in Sylhet on Monday afternoon. As many as 27 people, including the complainant, had been made prosecution witnesses in the case.
In reply to a notice from the ACC, Arif had concealed his wealth worth Tk one crore 4 lakh 99 thousand and 312. A close and trusted man to former finance minister BNP stalwart M Saifur Rahman, Ariful was one of the first list of corruption suspects.
Being in hiding for weeks after the declaration of emergency in January last year, Arif surrendered to the joint forces in Sylhet on February 25 last year. Soon after several extortion cases started against Arif, who is also a ward commissioner of Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) and the chief of development committee of the SCC.
Arif's huge property, accumulated through corrupt practices, includes huge landed property in his own name through 44 purchase deeds at Sylhet Sadar Sub Registry office, his bank account with Standard Chartered Bank, Sylhet branch-Tk 4,86,000, joint account (in the names of Arif and his wife) in the same bank-Tk 7,53,000, savings certificate worth Tk 2 lakh bought from the same bank, one Toyota car worth Tk 8 lakh in Arif's name, a microbus worth Tk 4,25,000 and a private car worth 6 lakh taka bought in the name of his wife Shyama, a flat at Sylhet city's Garden Tower and a plot worth Tk 73,50,000 registered at Gulshan registry office in Dhaka in the name of their daughter, Tk 9 lakh in his name in three banks in Sylhet city, Tk 41,48,000 in a joint bank account (with his wife) in Sylhet city, another one lakh taka in a different bank account in his wife's name, savings certificates worth Tk 2 lakh bought from the Bangladesh Bank, Sylhet in his wife's name, 40 lakh taka share in Surma CNG filling station in Sylhet city and share worth Tk 5 Lakh with Synthia developers.
The case will be sent to the Divisional Special Judge's Court.