The Anti-Corruption Commission on Monday started an inquiry into allegations of embezzling and laundering Tk 2,000 crore against immediate past Bangladesh high commissioner to the United Kingdom Saida Muna Tasneem and her husband Generation Next Fashions Ltd chairman Tauhidul Islam Chaudhury.
The commission formed a team led by its deputy director Jahangir Alam to carry out the inquiry against the couple, said its chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen at a press briefing.
According to the allegations, Saida Muna Tasneem and her husband Tauhidul Islam borrowed Tk 2000 crore from 12 financial institutions in the names of fake entities, including Generation Next Fashions Ltd, and laundered the money abroad.
Institutions from which they borrowed the money include United Commercial Bank, Bank Asia, Eastern Bank, City Bank, Brac Bank, National Bank, Trust Bank and South East Bank.
After the Awami League government鈥檚 fall the interim government recalled Saida Muna to Dhaka in September 2024 as part of its move to restructure the foreign office.
Muna, belonging to the 11th batch of the Bangladesh Civil Service foreign affairs cadre, went on post-retirement leave in December last year.
She had been the Bangladesh high commissioner to the UK since November 2018. Before her London assignment, she served as the Bangladesh ambassador to Thailand.
Replying another question, Abdul Momen said that documents suggested Tulip Siddiq, who is a UK Labour Party lawmaker and former city minister, is a Bangladeshi.
Besides running three ongoing cases against Tulip, who is a niece of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the ACC is conducting an inquiry also against her, said its chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen.
He questioned why Tulip resigned as UK city minister if she was innocent. 鈥業f she claims innocence, why did her lawyer contact the ACC? Why did she step down from her ministerial role?鈥�
He said that the ACC considered her a Bangladesh national and would take action accordingly.
Earlier on Sunday, it once again summoned Tulip Siddiq over allegations of unlawfully acquiring a flat from Eastern Housing at Gulshan in Dhaka city.
The fresh notice has been sent to five different addresses in Dhaka, asking her to appear before the commission on June 22 in connection with the case.
Earlier in May also the ACC issued her a notice to appear before it, which she disregarded so far.
