The Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday decided to initiate an inquiry against six officials of the home ministry, including immediate past home minister Asaduzzaman Khan over amassing illegal wealth through taking bribes and money laundering.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by ACC chairman Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah following an allegation of massive corruption against them received by the commission after the August 5 downfall of Sheikh Hasina amid a mass uprising spearheaded by student protesters.
Asaduzzaman has also been made accused in a number of cases filed on charges of killing during the student protest.
An ACC inquiry team led by its deputy director Jahangir Alam was formed to carry out the inquiry against the former home minister and others, said ACC deputy director [public relations] Aktarul Islam.
The other five people are the home ministry鈥檚 joint secretary Md Harun-Or-Rashid Biswas, also the private secretary of Asaduzzaman, Public Security Division deputy secretary Dhananjoy Kumar Das, Security Services Division administrative officer Mollah Ibrahim Hossain, personal officer Monir Hossain, and the ministry鈥檚 public relations officer Sharif Mahmud Apu.
There are allegations that a syndicate led by former home minister Asaduzzaman was developed at home ministry during the last two consecutive terms of the AL government that was involved with massive corruption and irregularities.
The syndicate members amassed a huge amount of movable and immovable wealth through taking a huge amount of bribes from different government departments and
agencies, including the police, the Department of Narcotics Control, and Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence.
Minister鈥檚 PS Harun allegedly played a pivotal role in collecting and managing the funds, with the syndicate reportedly syphoning off thousands of crores. Even after Harun retired, he allegedly continued to control the corruption and bribery operations within the ministry, according to the allegations.
The graft suspects also laundered money abroad to hide sources of money.
ACC officials said that, without the syndicate鈥簊 approval, no police officer could be appointed to a district or any significant position.
Appointment as a Superintendent of Police required a bribe ranging from Tk聽1 crore to Tk聽3 crore, according to the allegation.
On June 30, 2022, deputy inspector general Molla Nazrul Islam was appointed commissioner of the聽Gazipur Metropolitan Police, with the syndicate allegedly ensuring the appointment in exchange for Tk 5 crore.
A month before the appointment, Nazrul is said to have handed a check for Tk聽5 crore to PS Harun, followed by a payment of Tk聽2 crore in cash after his appointment as commissioner, and Nazrul also replaced the initial check with a new one for Tk聽3 crore at The Westin Dhaka.
The cash was allegedly delivered in sacks to the then home minister Asaduzzaman鈥檚 residence at Farmgate in the capital, said ACC officials, quoting the allegations.
The former minister鈥檚 son, Shafi Moddasser Khan Jyoti, reportedly once failed in an attempt to have a police officer transferred.
As Asaduzzaman asked his son to contact Harun, this issue allegedly led to an altercation at their home in June during which Jyoti vandalised valuables at their home.
The allegation also found that any non-government organisation seeking a no objection certificate was required to pay between Tk聽80 lakh and Tk聽1 crore to the former minister鈥檚 office.
聽In one instance, in 2018, a development organisation in Uttara, Dhaka, faced delays in obtaining an聽NOC despite favourable reports from the police, district administration,聽and National Security Intelligence.
Ultimately, just before the December 2018 election,聽the organisation was forced to pay Tk 85 lakh to the home minister for the NOC. The payment was聽made through a family member near his Farmgate residence.
There is also an allegation that the Fire Service and Civil Defence, whenever there was a job circular, the minister鈥檚 office sent a list of names to be appointed.
The fire service was reportedly compelled to follow these directives, with appointments requiring a bribe ranging from Tk聽8 lakh to Tk聽12 lakh per person.
On October 2, 2023, the fire service appointed 535 individuals, including 436 male firefighters, 15 female firefighters, and 84 drivers, following a list provided by the former minister鈥檚 office.
Asaduzzaman Khan was not available for comment regarding the corruption allegation as his phone was found switched off.
Asaduzzaman was elected lawmaker first in 2008 and he was appointed as state minister for home on January 12, 2014, and later he was promoted as minister in July 2015.
