Ex-land minister Saifuzzaman’s explanation on wealth accumulation abroad unreasonable: TIB
TIB also called on the ACC, the NBR, the BFIU, the CID and other agencies concerned to investigate the process of his accumulating wealth abroad and its amount.
Former land minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury's explanation regarding his wealth abroad and its concealment in the national election affidavit is unreasonable, absurd, and unacceptable, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said yesterday.
The corruption watchdog highlighted that presenting false or incomplete information in the election affidavit is a punishable offence, reads a TIB press statement.
TIB also called on the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), National Board of Revenue (NBR), Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and other agencies concerned to investigate the process of Saifuzzaman's accumulating wealth abroad and its amount.
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It said, "On 26 December 2023, TIB revealed evidence suggesting that one member of the government's cabinet possessed multiple companies abroad under his name, but the wealth was not disclosed in the election affidavit.
"It was later revealed by multiple media reports that the minister hiding the wealth information was the former land minister, and he also admitted it in a press conference this Saturday."
TIB continued, "In the press conference, the former minister had also cast doubts on the motives behind TIB's revelation of the wealth abroad just before the election."
Stating that the minister's claims are baseless, TIB said the motive behind revealing the information was to ensure transparency and accountability of the national election candidates on their income and wealth.
"TIB has prepared a dashboard containing information on the affidavits of the candidates of the last four national elections and analysed the affidavits of 6,007 candidates to provide an overall, constituency-based, and party-wise analysis.
"The purpose is to provide information on the candidates and to present a comparative picture of the increase in their wealth and assets, stated in the affidavits," TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said.
However, he added that the discrepancies in the former land minister's real wealth and affidavit information have brought forward the issue of hidden wealth.
"In the press conference, the minister alleged that TIB revealed the information to embarrass the minister and the government. TIB believes that any right information like this should naturally be embarrassing for the person concerned," he added.
The former land minister's explanation that there is no separate column for wealth abroad in the affidavit form is unreasonable and unacceptable, said Iftekharuzzaman.
"Firstly, the former land minister concealed information in the affidavit, even though providing false or incomplete information in the affidavit is a punishable offence.
"Providing information on all types of wealth at home or abroad is compulsory in the affidavit. The former minister is trying to evade responsibility for concealing wealth by ridiculously claiming that the affidavit form has no separate column for wealth abroad. The minister's claim that he provided information based on income tax returns that do not include his wealth abroad is also absurd," he added.
Mentioning that the former minister violated not one but several laws, related to concealing assets abroad, Iftekharuzzaman further said, "According to Article 147(3) of the Constitution, eight types of constitutional office-bearers, including ministers of the country, are prohibited from holding any profitable office, salaried office, or participating in the management of any profit-making entity.
"Therefore, the former land minister has violated this constitutional provision after taking oath, which is utterly unacceptable."
