The Anti-Corruption Commission on Wednesday found evidence of illegal assets worth around Tk3.36 crore in the names of former food minister and Awami League presidium member Md Abdur Razzaque, his wife and his son.
The commission has decided to issue separate notices asking them to submit wealth statements, confirmed ACC Public Relations Officer Md Akhtarul Islam.
According to the ACC inquiry report, Razzaque owns movable and immovable properties worth Tk6.72 crore. He could show legal sources of Tk4.77 crore, leaving Tk1.94 crore as unexplained wealth.
He also failed to provide proper clarification for about Tk1.36 crore in his income tax returns, despite interrogation and document verification.
His wife Shirin Akhter Banu was found to have assets worth Tk3.28 crore, including Tk2.77 crore in properties and Tk51 lakh in family expenses. But legal sources of income could be traced for only Tk2.37 crore, leaving Tk90.71 lakh unexplained.
The ACC report mentioned that between tax years 2008-09 and 2024-25, she declared Tk38.20 lakh from other sources and Tk19.98 lakh from securities profits, which were inconsistent with her wealth accumulation.
His son Rezwan Shahriar Sumit was found to own assets worth Tk1.24 crore, including movable properties. He could show legal income of only Tk73.68 lakh, leaving Tk51.12 lakh as unexplained assets.
The ACC said that the Razzaque family’s assets are not consistent with their known sources of income. Accordingly, notices under Section 26(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004 will be issued against Abdur Razzaque, his wife and his son.
Razzaque was first elected a member of parliament in 2001. He served as the Awami League’s central agriculture and cooperative affairs secretary before becoming minister of food and disaster management from 2009 to 2012, and later as food minister until January 2014.
