The Anti-Corruption Commission is set to file a case today against 35 people, including deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 daughter Saima Wazed Putul, chairs of eight business groups and former principal secretary Nojibur Rahman over allegations of embezzling Tk聽448.94 crore from Shuchona Foundation.
Shuchona Foundation was established in 2014 by Saima to work with individuals facing mental disabilities, neurological disorders, autism and mental health issues.
The ACC on Monday approved the filing of the case at a meeting of the commission with its chairman Mohammed Abdul Momen in the chair, said ACC director general (prevention) Akhtar Hossain.
The names of 11 trustees of Shuchona Foundation, chairs of eight business groups, including Summit, United, Meghna and Beximco, and a former chairman and 15 members of National Board of Revenue are on the list of accused in the proposed case.
ACC deputy director Monirul Islam will file the case today with its integrated district office in Dhaka-1, said ACC officials.
According to the anti-graft agency鈥檚 findings, Saima Wazed in collusion with the others accused established a paper-based entity named Shuchona Foundation, obtaining registration from the NGO Affairs Bureau and the Department of Social Services.
During the tenure between 2016 and 2024, they extended allegedly illegal benefits to various individuals and entities in exchange for bribes disguised as donations.
The accused allegedly embezzled the collected funds instead of spending the money on the welfare of persons with disabilities under Shuchona Foundation.
Beximco Group chairman and former lawmaker Salman F Rahman, Summit Group chairman Muhammad Aziz Khan, United Group chairman Moinuddin Hasan Rashid, Meghna Group chairman Mostafa Kamal, Hamid Real Estate chairman Enthekhabul Hamid, Sanowar Group鈥檚 former chairman and former minister Nurul Islam, Apex Property Development Limited chairman and former lawmaker AKM Rahmatullah and Buildtrade Engineering chairman Enayetur Rahman are on the list of accused.
The businesses donated money to Shuchona Foundation in exchange of taking illegal benefits when Saima鈥檚 mother Sheikh Hasina was in power, said the findings.
The Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime was ousted on August 5 past year in a mass uprising.
Shuchona Foundation trustee and chairperson Dr Muzharul Mannan, vice-chairman professor Dr Pran Gopal Datta, treasurer Md Shamsuzzaman, its trustees Md Nazmul Hasan Papon, Saifullah Abdullah Solenkhi, Zain Bari Rizvi, executive committee members and former lawmaker professor Ruhul Haque, Shirin Zaman Monir, SM Mehraz Jahan and Dr Helal Uddin Ahmed are also on the list of accused in the graft case to be filed today.
Apart from them, former NBR chairman and also former principal secretary Nojibur Rahman, NBR鈥檚 former 15 members 鈥� Mir Mustaque Ali, Chowdhury Amir Hossain, Parvej Iqbal, Md Farid Uddin, Md Firoj Shah Alam, Jahangir Hossain, Mahbubur Rahman, Md Lokman Chowdhury, Md Rezaul Hasan, Md Zia Uddin Mahmud, Abdur Razzak, AFM Shariar Mollah, Sultan Md Iqbal, Tandra Sikder and Kalipad Halder 鈥� are also named as accused in the proposed case.
There are allegations that the 16 former NBR officials had provided income tax facility to Shuchona Foundation illegally in exchange for taking bribe and benefits.
The ACC finding also alleged that in the name of the paper-based entity Shuchona Foundation, funds received in its accounts were wrongfully exempted from income tax through misuse of authority and collusive misconduct.
The commission also alleged that between 2015鈥�2016 and 2024鈥�2025 tax years, the foundation avoided paying Tk聽99 lakh in taxes. Instead, it allegedly created fake tax payment records, showed the amount as income tax expenses in audit reports, and embezzled the money.
The ACC inquiry also found that there were transactions of Tk聽930 crore in 14 bank accounts of Shuchona Foundation from where Tk聽447 crore was embezzled without spending the money for the welfare of the person with disabilities.
After the fall of the Awami League government, the anti-graft agency started several inquiries into corruption allegations against Saima Wazed.
The ACC started an inquiry into allegations of misusing her influence as the daughter of a prime minister to secure financial benefits for Shuchona Foundation.
Saima allegedly exerted undue influence over the NBR to secure tax exemptions for the entitled funds of her foundation.
In January, the ACC told media that during a drive they did not find the existence of the office of Shuchona Foundation at the organisation鈥檚 registered address in the capital鈥檚 Dhanmondi area.
Several cases were filed against Saima Wazed, including one by the ACC for allegedly 鈥榗oncealing information and abusing power鈥� to get a government plot at the Purbachal new town project.
The anti-graft agency is also probing different corruption allegations against some of the business groups named in the case to be filed today.
