A Dhaka court on Monday ordered the seizure of tax files of former Public Administration Minister and ex-MP Farhad Hossain, his wife Syeda Monalisa Islam, and Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority cartographer Md Abdur Sobhan in separate graft-related cases.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Sabbir Faiz passed the order following three separate petitions filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
ACC Assistant Director Khorshed Alam moved the petitions seeking seizure of tax records of Farhad Hossain and his wife, while another Assistant Director Md Mahbub Morshed filed the plea against Abdur Sobhan.
In its petition against Farhad Hossain, the ACC alleged that he abused his position to acquire assets worth Tk1.11 crore beyond known sources of income. It also cited suspicious financial activity in his 12 bank accounts, including total deposits of Tk6.54 crore and withdrawals of Tk6.35 crore.
The ACC said the case was filed under the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2004, the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947 and the Money Laundering Prevention Act. It added that seizure of his complete income tax records was necessary for a proper investigation.
In the petition against Monalisa Islam, the ACC alleged that she, in collusion with her husband, acquired assets worth Tk 94.05 crore beyond known income sources by abusing his influence and financial support.
It said the case was filed under the Anti-Corruption Commission Act and the Penal Code. The petition added that seizure of her full tax files, including permanent and miscellaneous records, was essential for investigation.
In a separate petition against Abdur Sobhan, the ACC alleged that he acquired assets worth Tk 1 crore 10 lakh 240 and 89 paisa beyond known income sources and concealed information about assets worth Tk 59 lakh 90 thousand 155 and 89 paisa. It also sought seizure of his tax records for investigation purposes.
The court said the tax files must be seized for the sake of a fair and proper investigation into the allegations.
