ACC summons Sobhan, Tarique Siddique, wife

Staff Reporter :

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday has summoned Bashundhara Group chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan to appear at the commission on July 2 over an inquiry into allegations of amassing illegal wealth against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s military adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique. The commission also summoned Tarique Ahmed Siddique and his wife Shaheen Siddique to appear on the same day at the commission.

Tarique Ahmed Siddique, a retired major general of Bangladesh Army, was the defence and security adviser to the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina for long. The ACC deputy director for public relations Aktarul Islam confirmed it to the media.

According to the notice, the ACC sent a letter signed by its deputy director Monirul Islam, also inquiry officer of the probe, to the Bashundhara Group chairman asking him to appear at 12:00pm on Wednesday at the ACC’s Headquarters in the capital’s Segunbagicha.
The commission summoned him to record Ahmed Akbar Sobhan’s statement in connection with the allegations, said an official of the ACC.

Earlier, a seven-member team led by deputy director Monirul Islam was formed to conduct an inquiry into allegations of amassing illegal wealth against Tarique Ahmed Siddique and his family members.

Earlier, the ACC summoned Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, his son Sayem Sobhan Anvir, also the group’s managing director, and several other members of the family to appear on May 25-26 but they did not appear at the commission.

There were allegations of land grabbing, money embezzlement and money laundering against Basundhara group chairman and his family members.

Following the fall of the authoritarian Awami League regime on August 5, 2024, amid a mass uprising, the ACC launched inquiries into allegations of corruption and money laundering by some key business conglomerates, including Bashundhara Group.