Foreign minister Momen's income drops, assets double
The income of AK Abdul Momen, the Member of Parliament for Sylhet-1 (city and Sadar) and the Foreign Minister, has reportedly decreased, while his movable assets have almost doubled.
This information was gathered from the affidavit submitted to the returning officer's office.
AK Abdul Momen is set to run as the Awami League candidate in the Sylhet-1 constituency for the upcoming 12th National Parliament elections. It's noted that he first contested parliamentary elections in 2018.
In the affidavit, the Foreign Minister has stated "politics and others" as his profession, while in 2018, he indicated "Teaching and others" as his profession.
The Foreign Minister, who holds a postgraduate degree and has no legal cases against him, has reported an annual income of a little over Tk 2.6 million in the current affidavit, compared to around Tk 3.6 million in 2018.
His current earnings include approximately Tk 400,000 from house and shop rent, about Tk 1.26 million from his stated profession, and around Tk 961,000 from bank profit.
Regarding movable assets, which encompass cash, bank deposits, shares, savings bonds, electronic equipment, and other sectors, AK Abdul Momen's assets now total Tk 47.9 million, compared to approximately Tk 28.8 million in 2018.
AK Abdul Momen's tangible assets have not shown a significant increase, and he currently possesses immovable assets worth about Tk 46.2 million, compared to Tk 42.4 million in 2018. Notably, he has no loans.
His wife, Selina Momen, has reported movable assets of Tk 800,000, which remains consistent with the reported amount in 2018.
In terms of wealth among the candidates in the Sylhet-1 constituency, AK Abdul Momen is the wealthiest among those whose nomination papers were declared valid after verification.
Following him, independent candidate Misbah Uddin Siraj, a three-time former organizing secretary of the Central Committee of Awami League, is reported to be the next wealthiest candidate.
According to the affidavit, Misbah Uddin reports an annual income of about Tk 1.7 million. He possesses movable assets amounting to Tk 20 million, and his wife has movable assets totaling Tk 16.3 million.
Additionally, Misbah has immovable assets amounting to Tk 6.8 million. His wife's immovable assets include a two-storey house. However, Misbah has a personal loan of Tk 3.75 million.
As for Abdul Hannan, the Zaker party candidate, he has claimed to be 'self-educated' in the affidavit and has no legal cases against him. His annual income is reported to be Tk 360,000, with movable assets worth Tk 200,000 and his wife's movable assets valued at Tk 300,000. The value of Hannan's immovable property is Tk 400,000, and he has no outstanding loans.
Faizul Haque, the Islami Oikya Jote candidate holds a Kamil (Master’s) degree. As a madrasa teacher, he has an annual income of Tk 120,000, with movable assets amounting to Tk 158,000 and immovable assets valued at Tk 6 million. However, he does have a bank loan of Tk 500,000.
The candidate from Bangladesh Congress, Mohammad Sohail Ahmed Chowdhury, holds a postgraduate degree and has a clean legal record. He identified his profession as 'social service' and mentioned in the affidavit that he has no income. His movable assets are reported to be Tk 80,000, and he possesses no immovable assets or loans.