The Ministry of Housing and Public Works on Tuesday cancelled the allocation of 12 residential flats that were previously allotted to former senior secretaries, retired judges and former government officials in a government-funded housing project in the capital鈥檚 Dhanmondi.
The decision was made based on the recommendations of a committee formed by the National Housing Authority, and the resolution was taken in the authority鈥檚 274th board meeting, said the ministry鈥檚 public relations officer Alamgir Hossain.
These flats were part of the ongoing first-phase development under the project titled 鈥楥onstruction of Residential Flats on Abandoned Houses in Dhanmondi and Mohammadpur Areas (Dhanmondi Housing Project),鈥� implemented by the National Housing Authority with its own funding.
The 12 cancelled allocations were located in a building currently under construction at House No. 711 (New-63), Road No. 13 (New-6/A) of Dhanmondi Residential area in Dhaka.
Md Zahurul Haque, retired judge and former Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (flat size: 4,105.05 sq ft), Md Yunusur Rahman, former Senior secretary (flat size: 2,315.83 sq ft), Md Mozammel Haque Khan, former senior secretary and former commissioner of the ACC (flat size: 4,308.68 sq ft), M A Kader Sarkar, former Secretary (flat size: 2,049.13 sq ft), M Aslam Alam, former senior secretary (flat size: 2,049.13 sq ft), Akhtari Momtaz, former secretary (flat size: 2,049.13 sq ft), Md Sirajul Haque Khan, former secretary (flat size: 2,315.83 sq ft), Md Manjurul Bashid, retired senior district and sessions judge (flat size: 2,315.83 sq ft), Syed Aminul Islam, former registrar general and retired senior district judge (flat size: 2,049.13 sq ft), Professor Nehal Ahmed, former director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (flat size: 2,049.13 sq ft), Md Anisur Rahman, former senior secretary and former Election Commissioner (flat size: 2,315.83 sq ft), and S M Golam Faruk, former senior secretary (flat size: 2,049.13 sq ft).
Following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024 amid a student-led mass uprising, allegations of irregularities in the allocation of flats to senior government officials were submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission.
The complaints stated that during Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 tenure, 12 officials holding the rank of secretary 鈥� allegedly involved in the controversial 鈥�midnight voting鈥� during the 2018 national elections 鈥� were 鈥榬ewarded鈥� with these flats in a planned way.
After probing the matter, the ACC confirmed that irregularities were indeed found in the flat allocations, while the National Housing Authority also formed a separate committee to look into the issue.
