The Anti-Corruption Commission summoned 13 people, including Dhaka South City Corporation former mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional commissioner [crime and operations] Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid to appear at the commission over allegations of amassing illegal wealth through corruption and irregularities.
On Thursday, Padma Bank former chairman Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat did not appear at the commission for interrogation over allegations of his embezzling Tk聽800 crore from banks and share market.
聽ACC sent a letter signed by its deputy director Monirul Islam to Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh asking him to appear at the commission鈥檚 headquarters in Dhaka at 1:00pm on November 3 to give his statement regarding the allegations of聽 amassing illegal wealth, said ACC public relations officer Aktarul Islam.
It was mentioned in the letter that 鈥業f you (Taposh) fail to appear and provide your statement at the appointed time, it will be considered that you have no statement regarding the allegations.鈥�
Earlier, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit on October 8 asked all banks and financial institutions to freeze the accounts of Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, also a former lawmaker of Awami League government, his wife and son, and their related private entities.
Besides, ACC sent letters signed by its deputy director Joynal Abedin to 12 people, including Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid, also former DMP鈥檚 Detective Branch chief, and his wife Shirin Aktar, Harun鈥檚 mother Zohura Khatun, chairman of the President Resort and Agro Farm Limited, its managing director and Harun鈥檚 brother ABM Shariar, asked to appear at the commission鈥檚 headquarters in Dhaka at 1:00pm on October 31 to give statements regarding the graft allegations.
ACC also asked Harun鈥檚 uncles Farid Uddin Ahmed, Md Matiur Rahman, aunt Minara Begum, and uncle Md Sumraj Miah, Harun鈥檚 business partners Alauddin Al Sohel, Golden Sky Footwear Ltd chairman Rakib Uddin Dewan Raton, Md Solaiman, and Haor Air travels limited director Al Rasel to appear on November 3 at the ACC for facing interrogation. 聽
On August 18, the ACC decided for an inquiry against the former DB chief Harun-or-Rashid, following the recommendations of the ACC鈥檚 intelligence report over allegations against Harun of abusing power, money laundering, and amassing illegal wealth of crores of taka through various irregularities and corruption.
Former Padma Bank chairman Nafeez Sarafat was scheduled to appear at ACC at 10:00am on Thursday but the businessmen did not appear in connection with the allegations of embezzling Tk聽800 crore from banks and share market. The ACC initiated an inquiry against Nafeez Sarafat on August 15.
On October 16, ACC deputy director Masudur Rahman sent a letter to Nafeez Sarafat asking him to appear at the commission headquarters at Segun Bagicha in the capital at 10:00am.
Nafeez resigned as the chairman of Padma Bank in January this year. He joined Padma Bank, formerly known as Farmers Bank Limited, in January 2018.
