Dhaka South City Corporation’s top-tier engineer Anisur Rahman has been packed off to the newly formed Bogura City Corporation as a massive corruption probe closes in.
Despite the mountain of allegations and an ongoing local government ministry probe, Anisur’s transfer to Bogura, the hometown of State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam, has raised questions over potential political shielding.
Anisur, the superintending engineer (mechanical) of DSCC, is accused of corruption, abuse of power, embezzlement, tender rigging, illegal wealth accumulation, and money laundering.
His transfer on 30 June followed revelations that Anisur, acting as project director, inserted restrictive special conditions into a Tk400 crore Shaheed Zia Shishu Park at Shahbagh renovation tender. Insiders in DSCC told TIMES of Bangladesh that these criteria deliberately disqualified most competitors to favour three specific firms – Orion, NDE, and UCC.
Concurrently, the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives launched a probe led by Deputy Secretary Rabiul Islam. The committee was asked to investigate allegations of corruption, abuse of power, embezzlement of government funds, irregularities in tenders, illegal acquisition of wealth, and money laundering against Anisur and submit report to the local government secretary within 15 days.
DSCC insiders reveal that Anisur is now aggressively lobbying influential government and ministry figures, allegedly leveraging substantial funds, to block his transfer instead of taking release from DSCC.
DSCC Administrator Md Abdus Salam told TIMES that the long-standing allegations against Anisur Rahman are being handled. “He has already been transferred and an investigation committee formed,” Salam said. “Further action awaits the report.”
Dismissing Anisur’s frantic lobbying to block the move, Salam remarked, “It’s as normal as a sick person rushing to see a doctor.”
He asserted that the inquiry would determine whether Anisur alone was responsible for rigging the tender for Shishu Park renovation for the three favoured companies including Orion.
Deputy Secretary Rabiul Alam confirmed the probe has commenced.
Anisur declined to comment by phone when contacted by TIMES, insisting on an interview in person. However, during a subsequent office visit, he refused to give a statement and referred reporters to the DSCC public relations team.
Shishu Park tender rigged for selected firms
DSCC officials reveal to TIMES a coordinated effort to secure a Tk400 crore Shaheed Zia Shishu Park renovation contract for Orion Group, NDE, and UCC, firms heavily favoured during the Awami League era.
The mastermind behind the move is Project Director Anisur Rahman. According to officials, the three firms share an illicit nexus and have long dominated major DSCC contracts by tailoring tender conditions to suit themselves.
Following multiple objections, Anisur extended the tender submission deadline to 15 July, with openings scheduled for 17 July.
An analysis of the tender documents exposes blatant manipulation.
The technical specifications for the amusement rides precisely mirror specific models from the Italian manufacturer Zamperla, including the Disco 40, Endeavour, Galleon, and Water Mania.
While the paperwork technically permits “equivalent” products, the strict capacity, size, and technical criteria effectively disqualify all other international manufacturers.
Furthermore, by demanding exclusive manufacturer authorisation and requiring contractors to have completed at least two similar park projects worth Tk220 crore, the tender locks out genuine competition.
Several interested firms and some DSCC officials involved with the process told TIMES that these criteria are impossible to meet for anyone except a handful of companies privileged under the previous regime, confirming that open competition has been completely stifled.
Long-standing graft charges against Anisur
The allegations of corruption and irregularities against Anisur are not new. He has previously made media headlines for bill forgery, paying for non-existent goods, and claiming funds for fake road markings.
According to DSCC documents, a decision was made on 10 September 2020 to penalise him for releasing Tk2.86 crore and Tk1.55 crore under the ‘Supply Jensolin and Thermoplastic Paint’ project without any goods being delivered.
Although regulations dictated the matter be referred to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the case was allegedly hushed up under the influence of the then mayor, Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.
Furthermore, Anisur is accused of backdating Tk5.24 crore in payments without fulfilling contract terms for two projects – ‘Supply Portable Air Compressor-2’ and ‘Supply Brand New Bitumen Pressure Distributor’.
Another DSCC document reveals that on 17 July 2024, Anisur and two engineers were ordered to provide written explanations and proof of completed road markings.
Although they claimed the work was finished, physical inspections found no trace of it. Consequently, on 19 September 2024, DSCC Chief Executive Officer Md Mizanur Rahman recommended disciplinary action.
When city corporation officials commit graft, they face prosecution under the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2004, the Penal Code 1860, and the Local Government (City Corporation) Act 2009.
These statutes empower the ACC to investigate and prosecute, with penalties including imprisonment, fines, and dismissal. Yet, no action was taken, and Anisur comfortably remained in his post even after the government fell.
Accusations of amassing a fortune
Anisur, who joined the service as an assistant engineer in 1995, allegedly rose to influence quickly as the nephew of former Chief Engineer Shamsul Haque Bhuiyan.
After leaving the service in 2005, Bhuiyan entered politics and became the president of the Chandpur district unit Awami League. It is claimed that the uncle and nephew long controlled the distribution of DSCC contracts by colluding with specific firms.
According to documents obtained by TIMES, Anisur owns a 55 per cent stake in 145 acres of land in the Mothajuri union of Gazipur’s Kaliakoir upazila, where he established a private resort and the “Kumkum Multipurpose Agro Farm”.
A DSCC official revealed that Anisur is now desperately trying to liquidate his domestic assets. He has reportedly already sold several properties and laundered the proceeds to his daughter in Canada. Insiders claim that as soon as the resort is sold, Anisur intends to flee to Canada himself.
These suspicions are mirrored in the ministry directive issued on 30 June establishing the inquiry committee, which explicitly orders an investigation into his illegal assets and overseas money laundering.
Furthermore, Anisur’s name has frequently surfaced as a key member of the syndicates that operated during the tenures of former DSCC Mayors Sayeed Khokon and Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh. These syndicates allegedly controlled major projects worth hundreds of crores of taka.
