The Anti-Corruption Commission has started the scrutiny of allegations of suspicious transactions in bank accounts of 24 journalists, including the Daily Bhorer Kagoj editor Shaymal Dutta.
The commission took the move following a newspaper report that exposed the transactions of Tk 1,268 crore found in the bank accounts of the journalists, an ACC official said, adding that the newspaper report聽 was sent to the scrutiny cell for necessary steps.
The ACC director general Md Aktar Hossain, however, on Thursday told 抖阴精品 that the commission had yet to decide to conduct an inquiry against the journalists over the allegations.
A Bangla daily published a report on Thursday mentioning that the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit sent information on the bank details of the 24 journalists to the information and broadcasting ministry following a letter from the ministry.
The report also claimed that the information ministry also sent a letter to the ACC to take measures through a probe against the journalists.
According to the report, Tk 1,042 crore transactions were found in 23 bank accounts of Shyamal Dutta, who was also former general secretary of the National Press Club.
Of this, Tk 1,021.40 crore has been withdrawn, leaving a balance of Tk 21.11 crore in his accounts.
The second highest amount of Tk 58 crore transactions was found in the bank accounts of Santosh Sharma, editor and publisher of Daily Kalbela, while a total of Tk 31.97 crore transactions were found in 25 bank accounts of Alamgir Hossain, former editor of Samakal.
Tk 24 crore in transactions was found in 13 bank accounts of Baisakhi Television鈥檚 former head of news Ashok Choudhury, while Tk 18.57 crore was deposited in 57 bank accounts of Syed Borhan Kabir, chief editor of the Bangla Insider.
Naem Nizam, former editor of Bangladesh Pratidin, has 22 bank accounts with Tk 16.76 crore in deposits. Out of this, Tk 13 crore has been withdrawn, and the remaining balance in his accounts is Tk 3.52 crore.
Former press club president Farida Yasmin has 17 bank accounts, with a total of Tk 10 crore deposited in the accounts, while Tk 14.49 crore in transactions was found in 42 bank accounts belonging to Zayedul Hasan Pintu, former head of news at the DBC News, said the report.
The report also said that Farazi Azmal Hossain, a former journalist at Daily Ittefaq, had Tk 11.47 crore in transactions in 15 bank accounts, while Shyamal Sarkar, another former journalist at Ittefaq, had seen Tk 9.36 crore transactions in 14 of his bank accounts in 15 years.
Madhusudan Mondal, special correspondent at BSS, has Tk 9 crore transactions in his bank account while Zahirul Islam Mamun of ATN Bangla has Tk 5.13 crore deposited in 14 bank accounts.
Sheikh Mamunur Rashid, special correspondent at Jugantor, has Tk 4.96 crore in transactions in his three bank accounts, while Rafiqul Islam Raton, former editor of Swadesh Pratidin, has Tk 4 crore deposited in his seven bank accounts.
Shaban Mahmud, former press minister at the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi in India, has Tk 3.31 crore deposited in his two bank accounts, while Mirza Mehedi Tamal, city editor of Bangladesh Pratidin, has Tk 1.43 crore transaction in his bank accounts, said the report.
