Customs officer made Tk6cr in 7 years
He allegedly used the bank accounts of his banker friend and family members to transfer the illegal money and convert it into cash
Sharif Md Al-Amin joined Bangladesh Customs in January 2013 as an assistant commissioner. Within just seven years on the job, he allegedly illegally amassed more than Tk6 crore – in addition to his salary and allowances.
He allegedly used the bank accounts of his banker friend and family members to transfer the illegal money and convert it into cash. During an investigation, he failed to show the legitimate source of the money.
As a result, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is going to implicate the man – along with his 10 associates – in the chargesheet of a corruption case.
Al-Amin currently works at the Sunamganj VAT office as an assistant commissioner (customs).
The national anti-graft watchdog filed a case against the public servant in 2017. Mamunur Rashid Chowdhury, an ACC assistant director, probed the case and prepared a report based on the findings.
The ACC has already approved the chargesheet and will submit it to the trial court very soon, ACC Spokerperson Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya told The Business Standard.
In the chargesheet, accusations have been levelled against: Sharif Md Al-Amin; Md Rezwanul Haque, principal officer at Dhaka's Bangabhaban branch of state-owned Sonali Bank; Al-Amin's mother Sharif Hasina Azim; his two sisters Sharifa Khanam and Fatema Bacchu; his wife Ferdousi Sultana; and his relatives Khairul Alam, Saleha Begum, Rabeya Akhtar, MM Humayun Kabir and Kazi Nadimuzzan.
According to the report, Al-Amin deposited more than Tk2 crore into his two bank accounts while working for different VAT and customs offices under the Khulna Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate – within just three years of his having joined.
He also deposited nearly Tk4 crore in cash into the bank accounts of: Rezwanul, his mother, his wife, and his sister.
Later, Al-Amin allegedly transferred and encashed the money with their help.
The entire amount has been earned by Al-Amin through the means of graft, according to the report.
The report further states that bank accounts of all these people were investigated during the investigation.
They were also interrogated and found to be involved with Al-Amin in amassing his illegal wealth.