Hasan Mahmud’s family makes Tk 7.5b suspicious transactions in 70 bank accounts

Former minister and Awami League leader Dr Hasan Mahmud amassed a huge amount of movable and immovable assets in the name of his own, wife, daughter and two brothers, involving over Taka 7.50 billion through widespread corruption.

The joint general secretary of the Awami League went into hiding soon after the ouster of the party-led government through the July-August changeover.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) revealed that Hasan Mahmud, his wife Nuran Fatema, daughter Nafisa Jumaina Mahmud, his brothers - Ershad Mahmud and Khaled Mahmud - and their well-known business establishments have made suspicious and controversial transactions in 70 bank accounts involving over Taka 7.50 billion inconsistent with their known income sources.

An investigation of the BSS found that the current balance in these bank accounts is more than Tk 236 million and the suspicious transactions were made in several banks in the country.

However, the state-run anti-graft watchdog found that these incomes are not consistent with the income tax file of Hasan Mahmud, his wife Nuran Fatema and others. Rather, the rate of wealth acquisition currently found is about 4,500 times higher than the information given in the income tax file earlier.

The five-member ACC investigation team found that Hasan Mahmud's wife and daughter; his two brothers have also built huge immovable and movable assets in their names.

Besides, various allegations were filed against them for money laundering abroad, land grabbing in Rangunia of Chittagong, encroaching on hills of the Forest Department, construction of bungalows and garden houses, fishing by cutting ponds, ownership of buildings and flats in Chittagong as well as in Dhaka, and building a resort on a large area in the Ajman area of Abu Dhabi.

“The ACC team has received information on assets worth about Taka several thousand crores in the country and abroad as well. These are being sorted out, said an ACC official familiar with the process,” BSS said.

Served as the Minister of Forests and Environment and subsequently the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Hasan Mahmud, during the 16-year AL rule, misused the state power to gain his narrow personal and family interests, it is alleged.

The investigators said Hasan Mahmud helped get his wife Nuran Fatema a license as a shipbuilder while he was a minister. He built two ships, including a container ship.

After the fall of the erstwhile AL government, FMC Group, a shipbuilding company in Chittagong, filed a case against 19 people, including the ex-minister’s wife, and seven others, accusing of non-payment of the shipbuilding contract money and assault.

In addition, the case alleged that he (Hasan Mahmud) misused his power to float the ship.

The ACC has received allegations that Hasan Mahmud, while he was the Minister of Forest and Environment, gave his wife a ship license overnight and made her a shipbuilder. He received Tk 120 million from Rupali Bank for building the ship, but since he did not pay it, his total amount rose to Tk 195 million with interest.

Hasan Mahmud’s only daughter Nafisa Jumaina Mahmud, 25, has four accounts with Meghna Bank, First Security Islami Bank and Union Bank in her name. Transactions in these accounts amounted to Tk 17.0 million. There is a deposit of Tk 9.6 million in the bank.

Nafisa Jumaina Mahmud is the publisher of the English vernacular ‘The Daily People’s Life'. The declaration of this newspaper was taken by abusing her father's state power as the information and broadcasting minister.

An account was opened in the name of the newspaper at the Banasree branch of First Security Islami Bank on June 5, 2023.

Transactions in this account opened in the name of the newspaper amounted to over Tk 7.2 million while there is a deposit of Tk 19,96,434.

However, no information about income tax payments has been found.

ACC said Hasan Mahmud has six bank accounts in his name in various branches of Meghna Bank, Global Islami Bank, Mutual Trust Bank, and AB Bank in Chattogram.

Hasan Mahmud's wife Nuran Fatema has also 11 bank accounts in her name. Four in the name of daughter Nafisa Jumaina Mahmud, two in the joint name of Hasan Mahmud and wife Nuran Fatema, one in the joint name of Nuran Fatema and Salahuddin, and Hasan Mahmud and his wife Nuran Fatema are shown as business partners of Bismillah Marine Services.

The investigators said from the 11 bank accounts, Tk 27,54,59,749 was completely withdrawn from there, and the two accounts were made empty and subsequently closed after withdrawing the money.

In his latest election affidavit, Hasan Mahmud mentioned an annual income of Tk 147,000 by renting out house, apartment and shop while Tk 130,000 from agriculture, and Tk 1,22,263 from bank and other sources.

Excluding the allowance received as a member of parliament (MP) and minister, Hasan Mahmud's annual income is Tk 277,000.

And in the 11th Jatiya Sangsad elections in 2018, the annual income was shown as Tk 180,000.

In the official declaration submitted to the Election Commission ahead of the 12th parliamentary polls, a loan amount of Tk 22.8 million was shown in his name.

The ACC said Hasan Mahmud has three multi-storey buildings, including a 15-storey building in Dewanbazar and Dewanji Pukur Par areas of Chattogram, three houses in Pink City in Dhaka. There are also plots and houses in the Bashundhara residential area in the capital.

“He has bought the entire area in Ajman, United Arab Emirates, and many immovable assets, including houses and hotels. He has bought a commercial plot worth hundreds of crores of taka next to the Film Development Corporation (FDC) in the capital,” it is alleged.

The former minister is also accused of grabbing land in his constituency, Rangunia. He has seized 16.19 acres of hills in Rangunia, Chittagong, and built a housing project. He has several acres of property in various mouzas of Khulshi, Baklia, and Gazipur in Chittagong.

He has also built a multi-storey building on Sirajuddaula Road in Chittagong. He has a huge amount of money and FDR in various banks.

He has bought a house in Canada. Various construction works for coal power and a deep sea port in Matarbari, Chattogram were under his control.

But none of this is mentioned in his income tax return or affidavit, the ACC claimed, adding that Hasan Mahmud, while he was the Minister of Forest and Environment, forcibly occupied 212 acres of forest department land in Rangunia and built a luxury garden there and a cattle farm.

ACC said his bank accounts were seized on January 16 after a court order.