ACC finds Tk 56cr shady transactions thru 8 accounts of ex-home minister

There were suspicious transactions of around Tk 56 crore in eight bank accounts of former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, found an Anti-Corruption Commission probe.

He also acquired Tk 16 crore beyond his known sources of income from July 1997 to August 13, 2024, according to the first information report filed by the ACC's Integrated District Office-1 yesterday.

Jahangir Alam, deputy director (special investigation and inquiry-1) of the anti-graft body, lodged the case against Kamal.

Four more cases were filed against Kamal, his wife Lutful Tahmina Khan, son Shafi Modasser Khan, and daughter Shafia Tasnim Khan by the ACC on charges of abuse of power, corruption in recruitment, bribery, money laundering, and various other forms of graft. Kamal's personal assistant Monir Hossain was also named in the cases.

The case statement said Kamal acquired Tk 55.92 crore through bribery and corruption and made suspicious bank transactions to conceal the sources of the money.

These offences are punishable under section 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, and sections 4(2) and 4(3) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012.

Of the Tk 55.92 crore, Tk 48.8 crore was transacted via Janata Bank's Farmgate branch, Tk 1.52 crore, Tk 1 crore, and Tk 1 crore via three accounts at Union Bank's Bijoy Sarani branch, Tk 1 crore via Shimanto Bank's Corporate Head Office branch, Tk 1 crore via City Bank's Banani branch, Tk 1 crore via its Karwan Bazar branch, and Tk 60.11 lakh via its Gulshan Avenue branch, according to the statement of the case lodged against the former home minister.

The statement mentions that after the 2008 elections, Kamal acquired immovable assets worth Tk 2.57 crore, including a four-storey building in Monipuripara, 8.5 decimals of land in Mohakhali and Mirpur, 145 decimals of agricultural land in Savar, a 10-katha plot in Purbachal, a three-story building in Dohar, and 26 decimals of land in Ashulia.

Besides, he amassed movable assets worth Tk 17.03 crore.

The statement added that Kamal accumulated wealth worth Tk 19.61 crore, although his income tax return files from fiscal year 1995-96 to 2023-24 show that his total legal income was only Tk 6.1 crore.

Filing of the cases by the ACC against Kamal is the first after the graft watchdog launched probes against several lawmakers following the fall of the Awami League government.