ACC asks banks to seize 20 accounts of Khoka, family

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The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday instructed nearly a dozen banks to seize 20 accounts and a savings certificate worth Tk 15 lakh belonging to Dhaka Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka and his family members.

Dhaka city BNP chief Khoka is accused in a corruption case filed on April 2 by the corruption watchdog for amassing over Tk 17.57 crore worth of wealth illegally and concealing information about wealth worth more than Tk 10 crore in his wealth statement submitted to the ACC in December last year.

Khoka’s wife Ismat Ara, daughter Sarika Sadeque and son Ishrak Hossain are also accused in the same case for aiding and abetting him in committing the crimes.

Sahmsul Alam, an Assistant Director of the ACC and investigation officer (IO) of the case, also asked the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to seize income tax files and other relevant documents turned in by the mayor, said sources.

While speaking with The Daily Star last night, Khoka said he was not officially made aware of any such move by the ACC.

He would face the allegations legally through his lawyers, the mayor added.

A source at the ACC said the ACC sent out the account seizure instructions to the banks yesterday and the day before.

The account seizure would be applicable only to the active bank accounts at eleven different banks opened by the mayor family, the source added. Unable to disclose the total amount kept in their bank accounts, the source said that the Tk 15 lakh defence savings certificate has been at Pubali Bank principal branch.

Khoka in his wealth statement submitted to the ACC mentioned that his wife, daughter and he had 40 bank accounts while a total of Tk 40 lakh was being saved in two savings schemes under his son’s name.

The accounts that are being seized are five accounts with National Credit and Commerce Bank principal branch, four accounts with Standard Chartered Bank Motijheel branch and a total of eleven accounts with the following banks: Agrani Bank Hatkhola Branch, Standard Chartered Bank principal branch, Rupali Bank foreign exchange corporate branch, HSBC Motijheel branch, Uttara Bank local office, Habib Bank Motijheel branch, Janata Bank corporate branch, Janata Bank Nagarbhaban branch, BRAC Bank Motijheel branch, Premiere Bank Uttara branch and Janata Bank WASA Bhaban branch, said the sources.

Sahmsul Alam, the IO of the case, told The Daily Star that he filed the graft case against Khoka earlier this month based on the findings that the Tk 17.5 crore worth of assets presently owned by Khoka do not match with his recognised source of income, whereas according to his first income tax return filed in 1990-91, his annual income was only Tk 30,000.

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