ACC raids Ziaul Ahsan’s home

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Sunday searched the Jalshiri Housing Project residence of former National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) Director General and dismissed Major General Ziaul Ahsan as investigators stepped up a probe into allegations that he amassed illicit wealth and conducted suspicious financial transactions worth around Tk120 crore.

The operation was carried out at the property in Rupganj, Narayanganj, by an ACC team led by Deputy Director Md Hafizul Islam, ACC spokesperson Tanzir Ahmed told the media.

Officials are preparing an inventory of items recovered from the house as part of the investigation.

Ziaul was shown arrested on 7 January in a case filed by the ACC over allegations that he had acquired assets beyond his known sources of income.

According to the case statement, investigators found that he had amassed assets worth Tk22.27 crore that could not be explained by his legitimate income.

The case also alleges that he deposited US$55,000 beyond the permissible limit and carried out unusual financial transactions amounting to around Tk120 crore through eight bank accounts.

The ACC further alleged that, with the assistance of his wife, Nusrat Jahan, he transferred and converted the funds through the bank accounts of various individuals and organisations.

The case accuses Ziaul of abusing his official position and authority, with the alleged offences falling under the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, the Penal Code, the Money Laundering Prevention Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Ziaul most recently served as Director General of the NTMC before being dismissed on 6 August 2024, following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government.

He was arrested on 16 August 2024 in Dhaka’s Khilkhet area and subsequently shown arrested in a murder case filed with New Market Police Station in connection with the July Uprising. He has remained in jail since then.