The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The Anti-Corruption Commission Sunday filed a case against detained former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar for concealing wealth information and amassing assets beyond his known sources of income.

ACC assistant director Mirza Jahidul Alam filed first-information report (FIR) with Ramna police station alleging that the former home minister amassed wealth over Tk 7 crore “by illegal means”.

He was sued under section 26(2), (27)(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2004 and section 15(Gha)(5) of the Emergency Power Rules 2007.

In the FIR, the complainant stated that Babar has shown in his submitted wealth statement that he has a two-storied under-construction building worth Tk 8 lakh at Baribhadera village in Madan upazila of Netrakona district.

“Inquiring into his statement, the engineers of Public Works Department found its construction cost to be over Tk 34 lakh, some Tk 26.42 lakh more than his shown account,” it is said in the case.

The Commission also found around Tk 6.80 crore (US$ 10 lakh) after investigating his bank account with the Prime Bank Gulshan branch. The bank authority said that the amount was deposited into his account by clearing on July 26. And the figure of money came from HSBC bank of Singapore through DD and DD VCY on June 20 and 23 in 2007.

During interrogation at the prison cell of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), the accuser alleged, the ex-home minister “couldn’t give appropriate answer” about it.

In response to the ACC notice-served under the ongoing purge against corruption in high places-Babar had submitted statement of his total wealth worth Tk 6,77,31,312 to the Commission on July 7 last year.

Army-led joint forces arrested Lutfozzaman Babar on May 28 from his Gulshan residence on charge of corruption.