More complaints filed against Asif with ACC
More allegations have been brought to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against former adviser to the interim government Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan.
The Commission on Sunday approved an inquiry into the new allegations. The fresh allegations will be investigated alongside the earlier allegations of corruption in appointments, transfers and postings against him.
ACC Assistant Director of the Public Relations Department Tanzir Ahmed disclosed the information to journalists at a briefing on Sunday.
The ACC said allegations have been received that around Tk 60 crore was allegedly transacted in connection with the appointment of an administrator to Dhaka North City Corporation, while Tk 2 crore to Tk 10 crore was allegedly transacted for the posting of 36 deputy commissioners (DCs) across the country.
There are also allegations of tender manipulation at Dhaka South City Corporation and taking commissions ranging from 10 to 30 percent from development project tenders while serving at the Ministry of Local Government.
Besides, he was allegedly involved in tender manipulation at Narayanganj City Corporation and Cumilla City Corporation. He has also been accused of inflating the costs of rural infrastructure development and bridge construction projects under the Local Government Ministry by thousands of crores of taka, unusually increasing the cost of the third phase of the Sayedabad Water Treatment Plant project of Dhaka WASA, and misappropriating funds by increasing the cost of the Sheikh Russell Mini Stadium project by Tk 1,200 crore.
Among other allegations filed with the ACC are that he was involved in transactions worth crores of taka in recruitment, transfer and promotion at the Ministry of Youth and Sports; took Tk 10 crore as a bribe for appointing Abdus Salam as managing director of Dhaka WASA; appointed former LGED chief engineer Md Abdur Rashid Khan in exchange for Tk 52 crore in bribes; and appointed Abdul Latif Khan as CEO of Gazipur City Corporation in exchange for Tk 65 crore.
He has also been accused of wasting public money by travelling by helicopter. The allegations further state that he regularly visited five-star hotels, including Hotel Westin, and lived in luxurious flats and travelled in expensive vehicles. It has also been alleged that he purchased land in Portugal, invested in Dubai’s Green Group and deposited money in Swiss banks using funds acquired through corruption.
Other allegations against Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan include that he allegedly laundered Tk 4,500 crore to Dubai, Tk 3,000 crore to Singapore, Tk 2,000 crore to Australia and Tk 1,500 crore to Switzerland, where he allegedly purchased luxury villas and invested in various businesses. He allegedly laundered crores of taka abroad through his two brothers-in-law and a nephew.
The allegations further state that Tk 453 crore was allocated for his home upazila Muradnagar under a rural infrastructure development project. The allocation and disbursement process of the project were allegedly questionable. His father Billal Hossain and APS Moazzem Hossain allegedly controlled a syndicate of contractors and collected money by exerting influence over the local administration. His personal officer (PO) Mahfuzul Alam Bhuiyan was also accused of lobbying for bribery and abusing his power.
The ACC said an inquiry into allegations of corruption and irregularities against Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan is underway. The allegations have been documented and a decision has been taken to conduct an inquiry.
