BOGURA, Bangladesh — The Anti-Corruption Commission has filed a charge sheet against Rezaul Karim Bablu, a former independent member of parliament from Bogura-7 (Gabtali-Shajahanpur), and his wife Beauty Khatun, in a case alleging they acquired illegal assets by concealing information and exceeding their known income.
Bablu was elected in what is widely referred to in Bangladesh as the “night vote” — the disputed 2018 parliamentary election.
The case alleged that the couple acquired illegal assets while concealing information and beyond their known sources of income.
The ACC’s head office authorized the filing of the charge sheet against them.
Investigating officer and ACC Bogura integrated office assistant director Jahidul Islam said on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 24, that a charge sheet had been filed against the couple in court.
Sources at the ACC Bogura integrated district office said allegations of wealth beyond known income had been raised against Bablu and Khatun. On instruction from the head office, the ACC Bogura integrated district office issued separate notices asking the couple to submit statements of their assets.
After receiving the notices, Bablu and Khatun filed separate statements at the Bogura office on Feb. 6, 2022. The statements were verified and investigated on instruction from the ACC head office. Inconsistencies were found in the asset statements. The then-deputy director of the ACC Bogura office, Jahangir Alam, then filed a case against the couple at his office on instruction from the head office.
Assistant director Jahidul Islam was assigned to investigate. He found evidence that the accused had acquired illegal assets of 10.2 million 6 thousand 293 taka beyond their known sources of income by concealing information. The ACC head office then authorized a charge sheet against former MP Bablu and his wife under various sections of the ACC Act.
Acting on that authorization, the investigating officer, the assistant director, recently filed the charge sheet against them in court.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report