Moudud sued for hiding wealth

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The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday charged detained former law minister Moudud Ahmed with possessing wealth beyond his known income sources and withholding information about his assets.

Besides, cases were filed against four former BNP lawmakers including ex-state minister for civil aviation and tourism Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin and 67 others on charges of extortion, suppression of wealth details and illegal income.

ACC Deputy Assistant Director Shariful Haque Siddiqui filed the case against Moudud with the Gulshan Police Station under sections 26(2) and 27 (1) of the ACC Act, 2004, and 15 (d) (5) of the Emergency Power Rules, 2007.

He alleged that the former law minister in his statement to the anti-graft body has kept back information about his actual wealth and accumulated wealth through illegal means.

According to the first information report (FIR), Moudud did not declare wealth worth Tk 4,40,37,375. He has assets to the tune of Tk 7,38,48,237 which is disproportionate to his sources of income.

The joint forces in a raid on April 13 detained him and seized 32 cans of beer and 16 bottles of other alcoholic beverages from his residence. The following day Gulshan police filed a case against him under the Narcotics Control Act for smuggling in and possessing contraband liquor.

Moudud has been in detention in phases under the Special Power Act since July 25.

The High Court (HC) on August 19 granted him bail. Then on September 12, it declared his detention illegal. The counsels for the former law minister posted a bond for his bail on September 13, but the Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court, Dhaka has yet to rule on the issue.

CASE AGAINST NASIR
Deputy Tax Commissioner Bhuban Mohan Tripura of Circle 13 of Chittagong Tax Region2 filed two cases against Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin and his son Barrister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin with Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court for concealing information in wealth statements and evading taxes.

The cases were sent to the Divisional Special Court for hearing on September 19 and warrants issued for producing the accused before the court.

According to the case statement, Mir Nasir concealed information about TK 13,79,18,250 that he had earned between 1991 and 2007 and evaded taxes on them.

The wealth and income he did not show include the money he earned from the sale of a five-katha Rajuk plot in the capital, a land at Hathazari, and a multi-storey building at the city’s Chandgaon area.

His son Helal suppressed information about wealth and cash totalling Tk 11,69,31,634 and also evaded taxes on them, said sources quoting deposition of the cases.

Our correspondent from Jhenidah reports: Subodh Kumar Kundo, a contractor, yesterday sued former BNP lawmaker Moshiur Rahman and eight others for extorting from him Tk 50.85 lakh.

The other accused are Zahidul Islam Mousomi, Zahiduzzman Mona, MA Mazid, Akhtaruzzaman, Abdul Mazid, Kamal Azad Pannu, Asadur Rahman and Shawkat Ali.

In the case filed with the Jhenidah Police Station, the complainant alleged that Moshiur and his associates took the money on different occasions between 2004 and 2006.

Moshiur has been on the run since the state of emergency was declared on January 11.

UNB reports: Former state minister for housing and public works Alamgir Kabir and 58 suspected cadres of banned Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were charged with extortion at a Naogaon court.

In a complaint, Jahanara Bewa, widow of Moslem, alleged that aided and abetted by Alamgir Kabir, the JMB operatives set up a camp at Raninagar village in 2004. They extorted from her 1,000 maunds of paddy, two power tillers, nine tola gold ornaments, 53 bundles of corrugated iron sheets, five cattle and other valuables.

The court ordered Raninagar police to investigate the case and report back.

UNB adds: Delwar Hossain, headmaster of Upashahar High School of Boraigram, filed an extortion case against former BNP lawmaker Mozammel Haq and one of his associates with a local court.

The complainant said Mozammel coerced him into giving him Tk 90,000 in two instalments in 2002.

The court directed the officer-in-charge of Boraigram police Station to take necessary legal steps on investigation.

MOUDUD CASE DETAILS
According to the case statement, Moudud showed movable and immovable properties worth over Tk 13.24 crore in his wealth accounts submitted to the ACC on July 23.

However, the anti-graft body in an investigation found his movable and immovable wealth to be over Tk 17.64 crore and that he has concealed information about properties worth over Tk 4.40 crore.

In his statement, Moudud showed immovable properties worth over Tk 1.97 crore, five vehicles worth Tk 64.25 lakh, fixed deposit receipt (FDR) worth over Tk 9.77 crore in 22 accounts, over Tk 52.55 lakh deposited in 12 bank accounts and other movable properties worth over Tk 32 lakh.

The ACC investigation found the BNP leader owns immovable properties worth over Tk 2.37 crore, five vehicles worth Tk 64.25 lakh, FDR worth over Tk 12.51 crore in 22 accounts, and other movable properties valued at over Tk 1.57 crore. Besides, he has over Tk 53.51 lakh deposited in bank accounts.

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