The Anti-Corruption Commission is set to file a case against eight people, including Sadeeq Agro owner Imran Hossain and officials of the livestock department, on charges of irregularities and corruption.
A team of the commission, led by its assistant director Abul Kalam Azad, completed an inquiry and submitted a report to its higher authority recommending filing of a case, said a commission official on Thursday.
The case would be filed on Sunday following approval of the commission, and the number of accused would be eight or nine, said an official who was involved with the inquiry.
Sadeeq Agro Limited came under scrutiny recently for selling a goat worth Tk 12 lakh to the young son of National Board of Revenue official Matiur Rahman who is now facing a barrage of graft charges.
According to the probe findings, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock sent a letter to its Department of Livestock on March 3, 2024, giving approval to sell the meat of 448 cows, including 15 Brahman cows at a fair price through mobile sales centres.
Of them, 168 cows, including 15 of Brahman breed, were from the Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm in Savar, 42 were from Rajshahi Dairy and Cattle Development Farm, 20 were from District Dairy Farm in Sylhet, 81 from Dairy and Cattle Development Farm in Bogura, 20 from Dairy and Cattle Development Farm in Faridpur, 47 from Dairy and Cattle Development Farm at Kashipur of Barishal, and 70 cows were from Dairy and Cattle Improvement Farm at Hathazari in Chittagong.
Later on, Sadeeq Agro owner Imran Hossain, also president of the Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association, in collusion with some officials of the livestock department, took the 15 Brahman cows along with the other cows from the Savar鈥檚 central cattle breeding farm in April without maintaining the proper process.
Neither did they maintain the mandatory condition spelt out by the ministry that the cows must be slaughtered and their meat must be sold at a fair price from mobile centres during the month of Ramadan, said anti-corruption officials involved in the probe.
Later on, during Eid-ul-Azha observed in June, Sadeeq Agro was allegedly found selling some Brahman cows at high prices.
In 2021, Imran imported 18 Brahman cows, a breed whose import is restricted in Bangladesh, from the United States with fake identification documents claiming them as Shahiwal breed. The customs department seized these cows at the airport.
The customs authorities then handed over the cows to the Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm in Savar under the Department of Livestock. Officials at the Savar farm said that three of the 18 Brahman cows died, while the rest of the 15 were in their custody.
An anti-corruption enforcement team recently launched an inquiry over the allegations against Sadeeq Agro of selling the Brahman cows alive instead of selling their meat, said the commission鈥檚 assistant director Abul Kalam Azad.
On July 1, three separate teams conducted day-long drives at the Savar central cattle breeding farm as well as at Sadeeq Agro鈥檚 farms in Savar, Mohammadpur in the capital and Narsingdi for information and evidence.
Abul Kalam Azad said that their drives traced and recovered six Brahman cows from Sadeeq Agro鈥檚 Mohammadpur farm on July 3, and confirmed through code numbers on the cows that they were from the set of 18 Brahmans seized at the airport.
The anti-corruption probe teams also found that Sadeeq Agro was involved in artificial breeding of beef cattle at its farm, violating the government restriction.
According to the guidelines of the Department of Livestock, artificial breeding of beef cattle is controlled by the government, and there is no scope to do it privately.
The anti-corruption team also recovered seven Brahman calves from Sadeeq Agro during its July 1drive, which was a proof of the company鈥檚 act of violating the government rule, said anti-corruption officials.
They also said that the Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm in Savar did not take any action against Sadeeq Agro for irregularities.
Besides suing the Sadeeq Agro officials, the anti-corruption commission is going to sue the officials of the central farm too.