A court on Wednesday ordered the freezing of Tk 27 crore 7 lac, 96,121 thousand held in 87 fixed deposit receipts (FDRs) belonging to former Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain over allegations of corruption.
The court also ordered the freezing of Tk 66,376 and $16,419 in five bank accounts, and 13 wage earners’ bonds worth Tk 1.24 crore.
Acting Judge Md Alamgir of the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court passed the order following a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The court bench Assistant Riaz Hossain confirmed the matter.
The petition was filed by the case’s investigation officer, ACC Assistant Director Sabikun Nahar.
According to the petition, Khandaker Mosharraf amassed assets worth Tk 35 crore, 18 lac and 79,077 thousand through bribery and corruption that were inconsistent with his known sources of income.
He is also accused of making suspicious transactions involving Tk 99 crore 21 lac, 18, 842 thousand and $ 11 lac, 33,816 through various bank accounts.
The petition said he allegedly transferred, moved and converted the assets in violation of Section 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004; Sections 4(2) and 4(3) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012; and Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
The Anti-Corruption Commission’s Integrated District Office, Dhaka-1, filed the case on June 2 last year. The petition said the freeze order was urgently needed to prevent the transfer or disposal of the assets.
According to the case statement, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain amassed assets worth Tk 35 crore, 18 lac, 79,077 thousand beyond his known sources of income through corruption and kept them in his possession.
The petition further states that he laundered money by transferring, relocating and converting immovable assets worth Tk 7 crore, 72 lac and 18,000.
It also alleges that transactions through 15 bank accounts operated in his name and under pseudonyms totalled Tk 99 crore, 21 lac and 18,0842 thousand and $ 11 lac, 33,0816 thousand until December 2024, amounts that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) identified as unusual and suspicious during its investigation.