ACC seeks wealth info of Bashundhara chairman, wife

The Anti-Corruption Commission has issued a notice to Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan and his wife Afroza Begum, seeking their wealth statements.

In a press release issued yesterday, the commission said the notice was served under section 26(1) of the ACC Act, 2004.

According to the notice signed by ACC Deputy Director Sheikh Golam Mawla, the Bashundhara Group chairman has acquired movable and immovable properties worth Tk 252.22 crore in the country, while his wife Afroza Begum has movable and immovable properties worth Tk 453.12 crore in Bangladesh.

The notice further said the couple jointly obtained citizenship of Saint Kitts and Nevis by spending $250,000, and laundered a huge amount of money through bank accounts opened in Switzerland, under companies registered in the British Virgin Islands and the Isle of Man.

It stated that the couple -- either in their own names or through others acting on their behalf -- possess movable and immovable properties, both at home and abroad, which appear to have been accumulated through dishonest means and are inconsistent with their known sources of income.

Without obtaining proper approval from Bangladesh Bank, they illegally transferred money to Saint Kitts and Nevis, the notice added.