NBR seeks info on bank accounts of former RU VC, 4 family members
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has issued letters to different banks seeking details of the accounts of immediate past vice chancellor of Rajshahi University, Abdus Sobhan and his family members.
The letter was issued from the central intelligence cell of NBR on 24 May. Prothom Alo got a copy of the letter on Thursday night. NBR asked the banks to provide all information of the bank accounts of the five persons within seven days of receiving the letter.
The family members include his wife Monowara Sobhan, son Mushfiq Sobhan, daughter Sanjana Sobhan and son-in-law ATM Shahed Parvez. Sanjana Sobhan is a lecturer at Tourism and Hospitality Management department and ATM Shahed Parvez a lecturer at Institute of Business Administration (IBA) of Rajshahi University.
The NBR letter asked the banks to provide information by 1 June on any kind of individual or joint or business accounts, including FDR, SDT, of the five, any current or savings accounts, loan schemes, credit cards, lockers or vaults, saving bonds, investment schemes or deposit schemes or any other accounts.
It asked for information of accounts opened since 1 July 2014. The letter also asked for information of any other account opened before 1 July 2014 as well.
The letter mentioned that the information was sought as per Section 113 (A) of The Income-tax Ordinance, 1984.
Professor Abdus Sobhan took charge as vice chancellor of the university for the second time from May 2017 and completed his tenure before leaving the campus in a controversial environment on 6 May this year. Allegations of irregularities were brought against him in his first tenure (2009-2013) as well.
Taking charge for the second term in 2017, Abdus Sobhan recruited his daughter and son-in-law as teachers relaxing the recruitment principles.
‘Durnitibirodhi Shikkhok Samaj’, a platform of teachers against corruption, staged demonstrations against the corruption and irregularities and teachers’ recruitment policy of the administration of Abdus Sobhan from October, 2019.
The platform on 4 January 2020 submitted the corruption allegations to the Prime Minister’s Office, education ministry, Anti-Corruption Commission and University Grants Commission (UGC). Later, UGC formed a committee to investigate the allegations at the order of PMO and education ministry.
The UGC committee submitted the investigation report with recommendations on 21 October that year. Following this, the education ministry on 10 December sent a letter to the university stopping all recruitment process.
But, ignoring the order, Abdus Sobhan recruited on ad-hoc basis 138 persons, including Bangladesh Chhatra League cadres, on the last day of his tenure and left the campus with police escort on 6 May. Clashes broke out among the university and Rajshahi metropolitan units of BCL and officials and employees of the university that day. That evening, the education ministry declared the recruitment illegal and formed a four-member investigation committee.
The committee found evidence of involvement of Abdus Sobhan and some others with the illegal recruitment and submitted its report to the ministry on 23 May. The committee recommended issuing embargo on Abdus Sobhan from leaving the country. In this context, the NBR issued letters to the banks on 24 May.