ACC launches probes against ex-MP, two others

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) today decided to launch investigations into corruption allegations against three individuals, including a former lawmaker.
The people being investigated are former lawmaker from Chattogram-16 Mostafizur Rahman Chowdhury, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s ex-assistant personal secretary Gazi Hafizur Rahman Liku, and former vice-chancellor of Kazi Nazrul Islam University Prof Soumitra Shekhar.
Preliminary findings by the ACC indicate a staggering increase in Mostafizur’s annual income, from Tk 15,000 in 2014 to Tk 32 lakh by 2024, as disclosed in his election affidavit.
The former lawmaker reportedly acquired a Toyota Prado valued at Tk 37 lakh and a Toyota Land Cruiser station wagon worth Tk 84 lakh.
Additionally, he owns several properties, including four acres of ancestral land, a RAJUK-allocated three-katha plot, 14 gondas (16.8-katha) of non-agricultural land, a four-katha plot, and a shop at Chawkbazar Super Market.
His wife owns a five-storey house and a 1,872sqft flat in Dhaka’s Kafrul. The ACC has found evidence that he and his relatives amassed substantial wealth through recruitment-related corruption.
Meanwhile, Gazi Hafizur Rahman Liku is accused of amassing substantial assets by exploiting his position. He and his wife are reported to own vast tracts of land under “Messrs Rafi Agro & Fisheries” in Kashiani, a flat in Mohammadpur’s Madhu City, and a government plot in Uttara obtained through illegal means.
Further investigations revealed a five-story house on ancestral land in Gopalganj, a six-storey building in Mohammadpur, and investments in the Ocean Blue Resort near Kuakata Lighthouse. Additionally, his brother-in-law is reported to own a six-storey house and a 10-storey commercial-residential building.
Prof Soumitra Shekhar is under investigation for allegedly accepting bribes during the 2021-22 cluster admission process to admit students at Kazi Nazrul Islam University. He is also accused of accepting payments in exchange for teacher and staff appointments in the university’s Environmental Science Department.
Prof Shekhar also allegedly transferred contractor deposits from Sonali Bank to Rupali Bank for a commission of Tk 50,000 per crore, misappropriated funds meant for vehicle fuel and purchased land in Sherpur where he built a duplex house.
The ACC also uncovered his ownership of multiple flats in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi and Uttara, along with additional properties in Sherpur.