Tk 190m deposited in 18 bank accounts of in-laws of NBR’s Faisal

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigation traced around Tk 190 million in the bank accounts of the in-laws of National Board of Revenue’s (NBR) first secretary Quazi Abu Mahmud Faisal.

The ACC investigation finds that a major portion of the money at 18 bank accounts of Faisal’s in-laws was withdrawn.

According to the ACC document submitted to the court, Faisal’s father-in-law Ahmmed Ali is a retired bank official and mother in law Momtaz Begum is a housewife.

ACC says Faisal kept his ill-gotten money earned through bribes and corruption in the bank accounts of his relatives too. Faisal kept a portion of his illegally earned money at his in-laws' accounts.

The ACC document alleges that millions of taka was transacted in 87 accounts in 19 banks and one financial institution belonging to Faisal and his relatives. Most of the transaction was made in the bank accounts of Faisal’s in-laws. He opened more than 700 bank accounts in his and his relatives' names to conceal the sources of his income through corruption. Of them, the ACC has found information of a total of 87 bank accounts so far.

Faisal joined Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) as assistant tax commissioner in 2005. He is now the first secretary (taxes legal and enforcement) of NBR’s tax department.

The ACC decided to launch an investigation against Faisal last year based on allegations that he amassed huge amounts of money through misuse of power and bribery. Upon primary investigation, the ACC on Thursday submitted the wealth statement of Faisal and his relatives to the court.

Based on the ACC appeal, a court in Dhaka ordered confiscation of movable and immovable assets held by Faisal. Judge Mohammed Ash-Shams Joglul Hossain of Dhaka metropolitan senior special judge's court passed the order to confiscate assets including a flat in Dhaka’s Ramna area in Faisal’s father-in-law’s name, two 5-katha plots in Dhaka and Narayanganj, a 10-katha plot in Khilgaon in name of his mother-in-law and 87 bank accounts.

This correspondent went to Faisal’s house in Ramna on Friday to know his reaction to the court order and ACC investigation report. Mostafizur Rahman, the guard of the house, said none is in the house. Faisal’s mobile phone was found switched off.

In the ACC document, Faisal’s father-in-law Ahmed Ali’s address is given in Khulna’s Khalishpur.

Prothom Alo’s Khulna correspondent Uttam Mandal found the main gate of the house locked at around 9:30pm on Friday. After sometime, a person who identified himself as Augustin Das appeared and said he is a tenant of the house.

Augustine said Ahmed Ali’s family lives in the first and the second floors of the building. While the reporter wanted to talk with them, Augustine replied that they were sleeping.

The ACC documents provide information of financial transaction in the bank accounts of Faisal, his wife Afsana Jesmin, Faisal's brother Quazi Khalid Hasan, father-in-law Ahmed Ali, mother-in-law Momtaz Begum, brother-in-law Aftab Ali, aunt-in-law Mahmuda Hasan, maternal father-in-law Sheikh Nasir Uddin, relatives Khandkar Hafizur Rahman, Roshan Ara Khatun and Farhana Afroz.

ACC said Tk 52.1 million was kept in six bank accounts of Faisal and Tk 22.5 million in five bank accounts of Afsana Jesmin.

Tk 115.7 million was kept in eight bank accounts of Faisal’s father-in-law Ahmed Ali. Two of these eight accounts were opened in 2007 and 2010 and the rest were opened between 2020 and 2023.

A total of Tk 70 million was deposited in 10 bank accounts in the name of Faisal's mother-in-law Momtaz Begum. One of the bank accounts in her name was opened in 2009 and the rest were opened between 2016 and 2023.

The ACC investigation found information of Tk 15.5 million deposited in six bank accounts of Faisal’s brother-in-law Aftab Ali.

The money was deposited at different times and a majority of the amount was withdrawn later. After deposits and withdrawals, the money held by Faisal, his wife, father-in-law and his relatives in 19 bank accounts and one financial institution is about Tk 70 million. They also have savings certificates of Tk 25.5 million in their names.