24 became ministers, MPs with foreign ‘citizenship’

Salman F Rahman, an adviser to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in a student-people uprising, secretly obtained Cypriot citizenship. Former Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud holds a ‘resident card’ (permanent resident permit) in Belgium.

Former Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal is a citizen of the UK. Two former state ministers, Nasrul Hamid and Zunaid Ahmed Palak, have valid permission (a ‘green card’) to stay in the United States. 

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has received specific information regarding the possession of dual citizenship (or resident cards and green cards, in some cases) by 24 individuals who served as ministers, advisers, and MPs in various terms of the previous Awami League government. 

Acquiring foreign citizenship often requires several steps, and in some cases, obtaining a resident card or green card is the precursor to full citizenship. 

After the fall of the Awami League government in a mass uprising on 5 August, the ACC launched an investigation into the acquisition of illegal wealth and money laundering by 180 influential individuals (as of 15 October).

The ACC has so far gathered information about dual citizenship or resident cards for 24 people, confirmed by its investigating officers to Prothom Alo.

According to Article 66 of the current Constitution of Bangladesh, a person who has acquired the citizenship of a foreign state or professes allegiance to a foreign state is disqualified from being an MP or a minister. 

Zainul Abedin, a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court, told Prothom Alo that under the existing Constitution, individuals with dual citizenship cannot be elected to parliament or appointed to ministerial positions. If this has occurred through concealment, it constitutes a violation of both the law and the Constitution.

According to sources involved in the ACC investigation, five former ministers and state ministers hold UK citizenship. They are - AHM Mustafa Kamal, Md. Tajul Islam, Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, and Md. Mahbub Ali.

Among them, Mahbub Ali was arrested and sent to jail on 15 September.

Seven parliamentarians, including four former ministers and state ministers, have US citizenship or green cards. The names of those identified so far in the ACC investigation include Abdus Shahid, Nasrul Hamid, Zunaid Ahmed, Mohammad Ali Arafat, Abdus Sobhan Mia alias Golap, Mahfuzur Rahman, and Salahuddin Mahmud Zahid.

Among them, former Minister of Agriculture Abdus Shahid, former Minister of State for Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed, and former Member of Parliament Abdus Sobhan Mia are currently in jail following their arrests in a law enforcement operation.

The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a global network of investigative journalists, published a report in January 2023 revealing that the family of Abdus Sobhan, who served as a special assistant to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, owns multiple properties in the US.

The OCCRP report states that Golap started purchasing apartments in New York in 2014 and by 2019 had accumulated nine properties, valued at over $4 million (approximately Tk 420 billion at the current exchange rate).

The ACC’s investigation has also uncovered that six individuals hold Canadian citizenship. They are - former minister Abdur Rahman, and former parliamentarians Mahbub Ul Alam Hanif, Alauddin Ahmed Chowdhury (Nasim), Shamim Osman, Shafiqul Islam (Shimul), and Habib Hasan.

Additionally, former Local Government Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain holds Swiss citizenship, while former Railway Minister Zillul Hakim has a residence card in Japan. Former MP of Tangail-2 constituency, Tanvir Hasan alias Chhoto Monir, is a citizen of Germany, and former MP of Mymensingh-11, MA Waheed, has taken citizenship of Papua New Guinea.

Five of the 24 individuals named in the ACC investigation are currently in jail, while the others have not made public appearances since 5 August. Their mobile numbers are reportedly blocked, and there are rumours that many have fled the country. As a result, the ACC has not been able to take statements from these individuals regarding their dual citizenship.

Badiul Alam Majumder, secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN), criticised the previous Awami League government for disregarding laws, regulations, and ethics in its governance.

He told Prothom Alo that the top leadership of the Awami League must take responsibility for suppressing dissidents, committing murders, orchestrating enforced disappearances, and appointing individuals with dual citizenship as ministers and MPs through party nominations.

Badiul Alam Majumder also pointed to the past election commissions’ complicity in these actions, emphasising that the Awami League has destroyed the electoral system and should be held accountable.

The ACC’s investigation into former ministers and MPs with dual citizenship has revealed that many have illegally smuggled substantial sums of money abroad. 

In response, ACC Director General (Prevention) Akhter Hossain told Prothom Alo that the investigation is ongoing and that action will be taken against those involved in money laundering.

Sources within the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) have stated that although Salman F Rahman holds Cypriot citizenship, he owns a farmhouse in the UK, along with four other properties there.

Former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury is reported to have purchased 620 houses and apartments in the USA, the UK, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between 2016 and 2021.

The total value of these properties is estimated to be around 480 million dollars (approximately Tk 57.24 billion). This information was disclosed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in a notification sent to the media on 31 October.

Prior to the CID notification, Qatar-based media outlet Al Jazeera had published an investigative report detailing the vast wealth of Saifuzzaman Chowdhury.

ACC sources also mentioned that former Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal owns properties in London, where one of his daughters currently resides.

Shamim Osman, a prominent Awami League (AL) leader, is a Canadian citizen, according to ACC reports. He owns a house in Toronto, Canada, and also has a property in Dubai’s Al-Azman area.

Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Feni, Alauddin Ahmed Chowdhury, possesses numerous assets, including houses and businesses in Canada. His daughter also resides in Canada.

Salahuddin Mahmud Zahid, former MP from Manikganj, has a home in the United States, where his daughter lives.

Shafiqul Islam, a former MP for Natore, owns a house in Scarborough, a suburb near Toronto, Canada.

The property was purchased early last year for over 1.7 million Canadian dollars, which is approximately Tk 120 million. Members of Parliament and local Awami League leaders have confirmed the details of this purchase.

Additionally, the ACC has gathered information indicating that former State Minister Nasrul Hamid and his son have made significant investments in Dubai.

ACC officials involved in the investigation report that all of the former ministers and members of parliament with dual citizenship are linked to substantial wealth, including foreign properties and luxury vehicles. The Commission is continuing to scrutinize this information.

Once the investigation is concluded, specific details regarding their dual citizenship, foreign assets, investments, and involvement in money laundering will be included in the formal charges.

Iftekharuzzaman, the head of the Anti-Corruption Reform Commission, believes that those who have held the positions and privileges of ministers and members of parliament while holding foreign citizenship have essentially deceived the people.

He told Prothom Alo that their oath-taking as ministers and MPs was illegal. Having dual citizenship while serving as a minister or MP is no longer surprising, he said.

Given the extent of political corruption, abuse of power, and lawlessness in the country, such actions have unfortunately become normalized. He stressed that it is now imperative to ensure exemplary punishment for those influential individuals who conceal such information and deceive the public.