ACC sues ex-minister Sharif Ahmed

Staff Reporter :

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has sued former ex-minister for housing and public works Sharif Ahmed, accusing him of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk38.35 crore through abuse of power.

The charges have been filed under multiple sections of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, and the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012.

ACC’s director general (prevention) Akhtar Hossain confirmed the matter while briefing to the reporters at ACC’s Segunbagicha headquarter on Thursday.

According to the ACC investigation, Sharif Ahmed, former Member of Parliament (MP) from Mymensingh-2 constituency, failed to justify his wealth acquisition, which is grossly inconsistent with his known sources of income.

The report says that he engaged in suspicious financial transactions amounting to Tk42.68 crore, raising concerns about possible money laundering.

The financial discrepancies include bank transactions reflecting a total deposit of Tk61.27 crore, out of which Tk22.92crore remains unaccounted for.

The investigation further uncovered large-scale deposits, withdrawals, and fund transfers through various bank accounts linked to the accused.

Apart from Sharif Ahmed, several of his close relatives are also under the ACC’s radar for possessing significant immovable and movable assets, allegedly obtained through illicit means.

These individuals include his wife, Shefali Begum; his father-in-law Golam Mostofa; his mother-in-law Jahanara Begum; his brother-in-law Md Shah Alam; and another brother-in-law Md Shamim.
Investigators have traced substantial financial transactions in their bank accounts, but the sources of these funds remain unclear.

Despite repeated summons, they failed to appear before the ACC for questioning. Given the scale of these irregularities, the ACC has recommended issuing separate asset declaration notices under Section 26(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, to all individuals linked to the case.

The Commission claimed in the report that the massive financial transactions indicate possible attempts to conceal illicit wealth through transfers, investments, and property acquisitions.