ACC to sue ex-state minister Shahriar, Jacob already indicted

Staff Reporter :

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday said it had decided to file a case against former state minister for foreign affairs M Shahriar Alam on charges of acquiring assets beyond known sources of his income and money laundering.
On the other hand, the anti-graft body has also filed a case against former Deputy Minister Abdulla Al Islam Jacob, accusing him of accumulating wealth beyond his known sources of income and involvement in money laundering.
ACC Director General (prevention) M Akhter Hossain said Alam acquired assets worth nearly Tk27.39 crore, an amount which was beyond known sources of his income, while he was a state minister.
In a media briefing at ACC, the official said they found information about suspicious transactions amounting to Tk260.95 crore in six bank accounts in his name.
Hossain said the ACC received allegations that Alam, handed over, laundered and converted an amount of Tk260.95 crore through bank accounts in his name.
The ACC, therefore, took both the decision to file cases against him under Section 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, Sections 4(2) and 4(3) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2012 and Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
As part of the ongoing investigation, the ACC also issued a notice to Jacob’s wife, NilimaNigar Sultana, directing her to submit a detailed wealth statement to the commission.
According to the ACC, Jacob possesses illegal movable and immovable assets valued at over Tk 13.98 crore. The commission has also received reports of suspicious financial transactions totaling more than Tk 85.69 crore through various bank accounts linked to the former minister.
The investigation remains ongoing as the ACC looks deeper into the allegations of financial irregularities and potential laundering activities.