The Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday filed two cases against Saima Wazed Putul on charges of forgery to secure appointment at the World Health Organization and coercing 20 banks into depositing Tk 33.05 crore in the accounts of the Shuchona Foundation.
The ACC also filed three separate cases against former industries minister and Awami League advisory council member Amir Hossain Amu, his daughter, Sumaiya Hossain, and his sister-in-law, Syeda Haque Merry, on charges of amassing illegal assets worth Tk 38.39 crore.
The cases were filed with its Integrated District Office-1 in Dhaka, accusing the individuals of the graft charges, said ACC director general (prevention) Akhtar Hossain at a press briefing.
ACC deputy director Tahasin Munabil Haque filed a case against Saima Wazed, daughter of ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, on charges of abusing power and providing false information to secure the position of Regional Director of the WHO鈥檚 South-East Asia Regional Office in 2023.
According to the case statement, Saima Wazed, while holding the position of chairperson of the National Advisory Committee on Autism, submitted a curriculum vitae with false information to the WHO in 2023 for the post of the regional director of the organisation.
It was falsely mentioned in the CV that she had been an honorary specialist at then Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University since 2022, and was in teaching, creating educational manuals, and providing technical expertise on autism spectrum disorder and mental health.
The CV detailed her alleged responsibilities, including reviewing manuals for the care and management of developmental disorders for medical professionals.
The ACC during an inquiry, however, found that Saima had never participated in any teaching or educational manual review activities at the BSMMU, and the university confirmed this in a letter to the ACC, the statement said.
The position and duties claimed in her CV were fabricated, and Saima Wazed had misrepresented her qualifications to secure the prestigious WHO job, the case statement added.
Besides, another case was filed by the same plaintiff against Saima Wazed and Bangladesh Association of Banks former chairman and NASA Group chairman Nazrul Islam Majumder on charges of coercing 20 banks into depositing Tk 33.05 crore in the accounts of the Shuchona Foundation.
According to the case statement, the accused took Tk 33 crore from corporate social responsibility funds of 20 banks through abusing power and illegal influence.
The accused individuals in collusion with others exerted undue pressure on member banks of the BAB to unlawfully provide funds to the Shuchona Foundation, an organisation associated with Saima Wazed.
Between 2017 and 2024, a total of Tk 33.05 crore was forcibly donated to the Shuchona Foundation by 20 different banks from the CSR funds, which is a violation of rules and regulations, it said.
The ACC conducted an enforcement drive on January 29, 2025, against the Shuchona Foundation鈥檚 chairman and several others over allegations of misappropriation of funds through irregularities and corruption.
During the drive, the ACC鈥檚 enforcement team discovered that the registered office of the Shuchona Foundation, located at House 54, Road 5 (Old), Dhanmondi Residential Area in the capital, was non-existent.
The ACC also revealed that Saima Wazed and Nazrul Islam Majumder had used their positions of power to force banks to make payments to the Shuchona Foundation.
The banks, under pressure, made donations from their CSR funds to the foundation.
In May 2017, the 17 banks alone contributed Tk 21 crore, with a total of Tk 33.05 crore being donated by a total of 20 banks to the Shuchona Foundation.
Despite requests for information regarding the use of these funds, no records were found, suggesting that the money was misappropriated, said the case.
Meanwhile, a case was filed against Amu on charges of acquiring illegal wealth worth Tk 26.28 crore and conducting suspicious transactions worth Tk 31.48 crore in 14 bank accounts.
The second case was filed against his daughter Sumaiya on charges of acquiring illegal wealth worth Tk 4.44 crore and conducting suspicious transactions worth Tk 48.50 crore in 13 bank accounts.
Amu鈥檚 sister-in-law Merry was accused of acquiring illegal wealth worth Tk 7.67 crore and conducting suspicious transactions worth Tk 62.68 crore in 13 bank accounts. Amu has been named as an accused in each of these cases.
On November 6, 2024, detectives of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested Amir Hossain Amu at Dhanmondi in the capital Dhaka. He is now in jail in connection with a number of cases.