The Anti-Corruption Commission has launched an inquiry into the allegation of embezzling Tk82 crore against a fugitive former army personnel, Maj Gen (retd) Jalal Uddin Ahmed, which he had collected from small investors in the name of a so-called multi-purpose cooperative society.
A three-member probe body was formed yesterday by the commission at its regular meeting. Led by Deputy Director Jahangir Alam, the team includes Assistant Director Debobroto Mondol and Deputy Assistant Director Saiduzzaman.
Jalal went into retirement on December 31, 2003. Later, he and his wife got permission from the Cooperatives Department to run the cooperatives firm on July 17, 2005. Its office is situated in the capital’s Banani area.
According to the ACC, company Chairman Jalal and Managing Director Aleya Fatema, also Jalal’s wife, collected Tk82 crore from 1,451 different types of investors by alluring them of high interest and embezzled it. He later siphoned off the money to the bank accounts of their son and daughter in the USA.
The matter of cheating came to limelight in June 2012 when some investors had demanded their investment back with interest, but Jalal tried to avoid them.
Even in April last year, he signed a bond in presence of senior army officials that he would return all the money by the mid of July. But he did not do so. The Dhaka Cantonment Board took several measures to pay back the investors’ money but failed, an ACC official said.
Jalal has been absconding since September 17 last year.
