Khoka accuses ACC of exaggeration

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Alleging that the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) publicised an exaggerated figure of his wealth, Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka said the commission is on a witch-hunt against him.

“The ACC exaggerated the amount of my wealth and properties to the media,” the DCC mayor said at a news briefing in his residence in the capital.

Khoka claimed that his current earnings are based on the wealth and properties he inherited from his parents.

He said the law will take its own course if he is found guilty of lying in his wealth statement submitted to the ACC.

“The ACC’s claim that I and my family own about 5.5 crore taka in cash, is not right,” said the DCC mayor.

“I and my family have 40 lakh taka in banks,” added Khoka, also the president of Dhaka city unit BNP.

He however claimed that he and his family own moveable and immovable properties worth Tk 8.58 crore.

“The ACC included on the list of my properties the 5 crore taka I have invested in the share market, which is not fair,” Khoka complained.

The mayor of the capital went on to say, “I don’t own any house at 89/9 RK Mission Road in the capital. The real fact is that the government acquired that house on a six katha of land while constructing a road there.”

Khoka claimed that the ACC nonetheless included the non-existent house of his parents, which used to be there before demolition, on the list of his properties and thus misinformed the media.

Citing another example, the DCC mayor said, “A 120 decimal land at Sirajdikhan in Munshiganj was shown as my property but it’s not right, as the land is yet to be divided among our family members.”

About his 40 bank accounts, the mayor said only 12 to 15 of those are currently operational, the rest are either closed or do not have any money in them.

Khoka also claimed that the ACC did not follow the due process stipulated by the laws governing the commission, while ordering him to submit his wealth statement.

“In fact, the Anti-corruption Commission had come to a decision about me even before issuing the notice for me, which is neither fair nor proper,” the mayor alleged.

“It is unfortunate that they have already prejudged that I own a huge amount of property disproportionate to my known sources of income,” Khoka said adding, “The ACC have already decided that I have committed an offence.”

The commission served notices to 12 people including the DCC mayor on Nov 18, asking them to submit their wealth statements.

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