Court orders seizure of ‘Pani Jahangir’s land, freezes wife’s bank accounts
Staff Reporter :
A Dhaka court has ordered the seizure of land worth Tk1.75 crore owned by Jahangir Alam, widely known as “Pani Jahangir,” a former peon at the office of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the freezing of seven bank accounts belonging to his wife, Kamrun Nahar, containing Tk1.03 crore.
The order was passed on Tuesday by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Sabbir Foyez, following two separate petitions filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Court bench assistant Riaz Hossain confirmed the development.
On the same day, ACC Assistant Director Pias Pal submitted the applications on behalf of the commission.
According to the petitions, there is a risk that Jahangir Alam may transfer or otherwise change ownership of his immovable assets through sale, transfer, registration or other means.
To ensure a proper and effective investigation, the ACC sought seizure of the assets.
Similarly, the ACC said Kamrun Nahar may transfer or change ownership of her movable assets, including funds held in bank accounts.
The commission argued that freezing the accounts was necessary to prevent any obstruction to the investigation. After hearing the submissions, the court allowed both petitions.
Earlier, on December 17 last year, the ACC filed a case against Jahangir Alam and his wife Kamrun Nahar.
According to the case statement, Jahangir Alam allegedly acquired assets worth Tk18.29 crore beyond his known sources of income.
The ACC further alleged that he deposited or credited Tk626.65 crore into 23 accounts across eight banks in his own name and in the names of institutions owned by him, and later withdrew or transferred the funds through various means, constituting punishable offences. The case is currently under investigation.
The ACC also alleged that Kamrun Nahar acquired assets worth Tk6.80 crore beyond her known sources of income, an offence punishable under Section 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, read with Section 109 of the Penal Code.
Although a homemaker, Kamrun Nahar allegedly, with the assistance of her husband, opened savings and DPS accounts across seven accounts in four branches of two banks, depositing or crediting Tk5.96 crore.
The subsequent withdrawal or transfer of those funds also constitutes a punishable offence, according to the ACC.
The ACC said that during the investigation it received credible information indicating a risk of transfer or change of ownership of both Jahangir Alam’s immovable assets and Kamrun Nahar’s movable assets, including bank balances.
To ensure a fair investigation, seizure and freezing of the assets were deemed necessary.