The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against Rupayan Housing Estate Limited Chairman Liaquat Ali Khan Mukul and 43 others on charges of misappropriating government and privately owned property.
The ant-graft body’s director general Akhtar Hossain disclosed the development at a briefing on Thursday.
The other accused are Liaqat’s wife Rokeya Begum Nasima, son Mahir Ali Khan Ratul, sister Farida Begum and brother Ali Akbar Khan Ratan.
Others named in the case include Rupayan’s estate officer Sazzad Hossain, RAJUK’s Deputy Town Planner Kamrul Hasan Sohag, Md Sirajul Islam, draftsman Md Alamgir Kabir, and designer Md Emdadul Haque Munshi.
According to the ACC, Rupayan Housing Estate Ltd entered into an agreement and memorandum of understanding with the complainant in 2013 over 2.51 acres of land.
However, instead of paying the agreed price and completing the registration as per the contract, the company later claimed ownership and filed a lawsuit in court. In that case, the court imposed a status quo order on the disputed land, which remains in effect.
Despite the case being sub judice, applications were submitted to RAJUK on behalf of Rupayan Housing for land-use clearance, approval of special projects, and design and construction permits.
ACC officials said some RAJUK officials and employees illegally granted these approvals without properly verifying land ownership, records (khatians), plot numbers, or the court’s restraining order.
ACC inquiry revealed that Rupayan Housing Ltd obtained approvals for special projects and construction in five phases covering a total of 41.548 acres of land, while the valid documents submitted to RAJUK accounted for only 16.32 acres.
No lawful ownership deeds were found for the remaining land. Moreover, the inquiry found evidence that government khas land under Khatian No 1 and property belonging to the Bhawal Estate were also unlawfully included in the project, according to ACC.
The ACC stated that special project clearances and construction approvals were obtained by providing false and incomplete information, in violation of the Dhaka Metropolitan Building (Construction, Development, Conservation and Removal) Rules, 2008.
As a result, both the government and the complainant individuals have suffered financial losses.
According to ACC, as the allegations were found to be true during the preliminary inquiry, a case has been filed under Sections 409, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 109 of the Penal Code, along with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
