Now NBR first secretary's Tk1,000cr wealth exposed, assets seized

After Matiur Rahman, another official of the National Board of Revenue, Quazi Abu Mahmud Faisal, has come under scrutiny as the Anti-Corruption Commission has discovered that he illegally amassed wealth worth around Tk1,000 crore, according to documents the ACC filed with a Dhaka court.

Abu Mahmud Faisal is a first secretary (taxes legal and enforcement) of the NBR.

Following the ACC's plea, the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court on Thursday ordered the seizure of his immovable assets and the freezing of his movable assets, confirmed Aktarul Islam, a deputy director at the graft watchdog.

Among the seized assets are a flat in Dhaka and two 10-katha plots belonging to Faisal. Also, the court has frozen savings certificates worth Tk2.55 crore held by him, his wife, and other related individuals.

Mosharraf Hossain Kajol, public prosecutor for the ACC, said Faisal has amassed huge wealth through bribery and corruption, adding that the graft watchdog is investigating this matter.

Preliminary findings by the ACC's investigation team have uncovered immovable and movable assets worth Tk16 crore in Dhaka. Assets include a flat, two plots, and savings certificates. On Thursday (27 June), the ACC filed a petition to seize and freeze these assets, which the court has granted, he noted.

The ACC has informed the court in writing that Faisal abused his official power to engage in bribery. To conceal the source of income acquired through corruption, he opened over 700 accounts in his own name and in the names of his relatives. The intent was to hide the origin of the illicit income.

The ACC has presented a detailed report of Abu Mahmud Faisal's assets to the court. The public prosecutor informed the court that Faisal accumulated significant wealth by manipulating the transfers of income tax officials and taking bribes from taxpayers through intimidation. Also, he engaged in various irregularities and corrupt practices, through which he amassed wealth worth Tk1,000 crore, said the ACC public prosecutor.

Currently, the ACC is investigating Matiur Rahman, a former top official of the NBR, following a viral photo of his son, Mushfiqur Rahman Ifat, with a goat priced at Tk 15 lakh. Though Matiur had denied that Ifat was his son, various sources later confirmed that Ifat was indeed Matiur's son.

The investigation has revealed that Matiur Rahman has amassed huge wealth across the country, spanning from his birthplace in Barishal to Dhaka, Gazipur, Narsingdi, and Feni.

His properties include land, apartments, factories, luxurious houses, and resorts. While some assets are registered under Matiur Rahman's name, a significant portion is held in the names of his first wife, Laila Kanis Lucky, his son, daughter, and various relatives.

The Business Standard called Faisal, but he did not answer his phone or respond to text messages seeking his comment on the allegations.

Faisal's movable assets found by ACC

Among the movable assets are two savings certificates of Tk50 lakh in Dutch Bangla Bank in the name of Quazi Abu Mahmud Faisal, Tk50 lakh in four savings certificates in the name of his wife Afsana Jasmine, and Tk30 lakh in two savings certificates in the name of his father-in-law, Aftab Ali.

He also holds more savings certificates in the names of relatives whose identities could not be known immediately. These include Tk30 lakh in one savings certificate in the name of Kazi Khalid Hasan, Tk40 lakh in two savings certificates in the name of Khandkar Hafizur Rahman, Tk50 lakh in three savings certificates in the name of Ahmed Ali, and Tk5 lakh in one savings certificate in the name of Mahmuda Hasan.

Tk6.96 crore held in 87 banks frozen 

The court has frozen bank accounts holding a total of around Tk6.96 crore belonging to Sheikh Nasir Uddin, Mumtaz Begum, Roshan Ara Khatun, Ahmed Ali, Khandaker Hafizur Rahman, Farhana Afroz, Ashraf Ali Munir, Aftab Ali Tanir, Mahfuza Akhtar, Mainul Hasan, Afsana Jasmine, Mahmuda Hasan, and Qazi Khalid Hasan, along with Faisal.

Apart from this, among immovable assets, the court has ordered the confiscation of Jasmine's five katha land in Bhatara and a plot measuring 200 square metres in Rupganj, Narayanganj. The deed value of the five katha land was shown as Tk18 lakh, but during the ACC investigation, the actual value was found to be Tk75 lakh.

In addition, the court also ordered the seizure of land in Bhatara, Khilgaon, and Rupganj in Faisal's own name. Furthermore, 3,228 square feet of immovable property consisting of a flat and car parking in the name of Ahmed Ali, and 10 khata of land in the name of Mumtaz Begum, have been confiscated.

Here, the deed value of Mumtaz Begum's land is said to be Tk52 lakh, but the investigation found it to be Tk4.5 crore, as mentioned in the ACC application placed before the court.

"Targeting minnows"

Former NBR chairman Muhammad Abdul Mazid believes that corruption cannot be eradicated by targeting one or two individuals alone.

He emphasises the need to tackle corruption across all government departments, including health, education, and the ACC. Mazid stresses the importance of investigating officers involved in recruitment and transfers.

"There are complaints about a few individuals; the ACC catches them one by one, and then there is silence for a long time. No one knows what happens in between," Mazid said critically.

"Why does the ACC issue sanctions after the accused has already left the country?" he questioned.

He added, "Given the extent of corruption in the country, those being caught are just minnows.