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As part of its investigation into allegations of land grabbing, embezzlement and money laundering, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has sought information on the assets of Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan and his wife.
On Sunday, ACC Director General Md Akhtar Hossain said a notice of asset disclosure has been issued against them under Section 26(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, bdnews24.com reports.
According to the ACC, Sobhan has allegedly acquired immoveable assets amounting to Tk 675.06 million in the country and moveable assets worth Tk 1.84 billion, amounting to a total of Tk 2.52 billion.
He and his wife are alleged to have both obtained citizenship from Saint Kitts and Nevis by smuggling $250,000 abroad. The graftbusters are also probing complaints of a massive amount of money laundering conducted by the couple by opening bank accounts of companies in Switzerland’s Lugano, the British Virgin Islands and the Isle of Man.
Afroza Begum, Sobhan’s wife, has allegedly acquired immoveable assets worth Tk 1.17 billion in the country and moveable assets worth Tk 3.35 billion, totalling Tk 4.53 billion.
The ACC says the suspects have acquired assets inconsistent with known sources of income through dishonest means.
The agency is investigating allegations of “government tax evasion, land grabbing, embezzlement of loan proceeds, and money laundering” against Sobhan and his wife and children. As part of this, the family were also summoned to the ACC for questioning.
After a student-led mass uprising toppled the Awami League administration on Aug 5, 2024, various state agencies have also launched investigations into the corruption and irregularities of prominent businessmen who were beneficiaries of the ousted government.
The Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) started investigating the owners of five big companies, including Bashundhara, and sent letters to banks and financial institutions seeking information on their transactions and those of their family members.