Abed Ali owns assets worth at least Tk 500m

Former driver of the Public Service Commission (PSC) Syed Abed Ali has assets worth at least Tk 500 million. He owns a six-storey building and three flats in Dhaka in addition to his car. He has a duplex building in his village in Madaripur.

Concerned sources say Abed Ali disclosed this information during primary questioning of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police. However, the CID officials assume he owns further more assets.

Syed Abed Ali and his university-goer son Syed Sohanur Rahman were arrested from their flat in the WASA Road area of Shewrapara in the capital on Monday on the allegation of being involved in leaking question papers of the recruit exam for the post of deputy assistant engineer of Bangladesh Railway.

Besides, two PSC deputy directors, a PSC assistant director and 15 were also arrested in connection with leaking question papers. A CID official lodged a case against the arrestees under the Public Service Commission Act Tuesday morning.

Abed Ali’s son Sohanur Rahman was the relief and disaster management affairs secretary of Dhaka south city Chhatra League. He was removed from the post yesterday, Monday.

Visiting the WASA Road area of West Shewrapara under the Mirpur police station, it was learnt that Abed Ali lives in an apartment of a nine-storey building named Bismillah Tower. Speaking to Prothom Alo, Sohel Khan, security guard of the building, told Prothom Alo Abed Ali lives with his two sons, daughter and wife in a flat on the fifth floor of the building.

Asked about any chance of visiting Abed Ali’s flat, the security guard requested this correspondent to talk to his family members on intercom first. He contacted the family members over the intercom, but they said they didn’t want to talk to any correspondent of Prothom Alo.

The locals claim Abed Ali had five apartments in that building. He sold two of those a few months ago. Now he owns three apartments in that building.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, a top CID official said Abed Ali told the police officials during the questioning that he owns two flats on the fifth floor and one on the fourth floor of Bismillah Towers. Besides, he owns a six-storey building in Pikepara and has cash money deposited in different banks.

He also revealed during the interrogation that some 3,100 candidates were recruited as junior instructors of polytechnic institutes by the end of last year. He leaked the question paper to many of the candidates and all of them got the job.

Meanwhile, a PSC source says Syed Abed Ali used a fake address during his appointment in the PSC. Although he was from Madaripur, he mentioned Sirajganj as his home district. He was suspended in 2014 after the allegation against him of being involved in question leaking was proven.

Abed Ali started visiting his own area in the Dasar upazila of Madaripur two years ago. He wanted to become the chairman of Dasar upazila parishad. The schedule of this election is yet to be announced. However, he has been running campaigns for a long time to become a chairman candidate. He used a lavish car for his mass campaign in the area.