ACC to investigate allegations against Taqsem's assets in US

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has decided to formally investigate allegations of money laundering, buying luxurious houses in different cities and cars in the United States by Dhaka WASA managing director Taqsem A Khan.

This has been learnt from an office order signed by ACC director Uttam Kumar Mandal.

The order was issued on Monday which read the allegation of money laundering has been sent to ACC director general (investigation-1) for investigation. 

It said allegations of laundering hefty amount of money from big projects to the USA have been raised against Taqsem A Khan in the last 13 years. It was also alleged Taqsem bought 14 houses worth over Tk 10 billion in the US. Taqsem bought the houses by laundering money from Bangladesh.

Several intelligence agencies including Interpol have started investigations on his source of income and process of transactions.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Dhaka WASA managing director Taqsem A Khan said his family has only one house in the US and there is no authenticity of the news of his having 14 houses there. He said, "There is only one house which is bought by my wife. There are no other houses there."

A report titled 'WASA Taqsem's 14 houses in the US' was published in a national daily on Monday. The report was prepared based on allegations submitted at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Taqsem A Khan told newsmen, "The news of buying 14 houses in the US is utterly false. It is right that I have US citizenship. My family members, including my wife, are residents of the US. I was called from the US and assigned the responsibility of WASA."

Taqsem A Khan is in charge of WASA for over a decade. His family lives in the US. He stays for a specific period there to pass time with family members. There is an instance that he discharges duties staying in the US. He applied to continue as WASA MD while staying in the US, but the WASA board did not approve.