Illegal wealth: ACC launches inquiry against Hasina's ex-press secy Nayeemul Islam
A recent BFIU report said Nayeemul and his family members conducted transactions worth a total of Tk386 crore in 163 bank accounts before the Awami League government fell
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has launched an inquiry against Nayeemul Islam Khan, senior journalist and former press secretary to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, over allegations of amassing illegal wealth.
The decision was made during a meeting at the ACC headquarters in Dhaka today (7 January), the anti-graft watchdog's Deputy Director Akhtarul Islam confirmed to The Business Standard.
After the Awami League government was ousted in a mass uprising on 5 August last year, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) on 25 August froze the bank accounts of Nayeemul and his family.
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Nayeemul went into hiding after the ouster and subsequently shut down the newspapers he had been managing.
A recent BFIU report said that Nayeemul and his family members conducted transactions worth a total of Tk386 crore in 163 bank accounts before the Sheikh Hasina administration was toppled.
During the investigation, BFIU found the family had already withdrawn Tk379.52 crore before it could freeze the accounts and only Tk6.27 crore was left in these accounts.
The report showed that Nayeemul holds 91 bank accounts, where a total of Tk249 crore had been deposited. He has withdrawn Tk238.34 crore from these accounts, with only Tk64 lakh remaining.
His wife Nasima Khan Monti holds 13 bank accounts, where Tk16.96 crore has been deposited. She has withdrawn Tk13 crore.
Substantial sums were also deposited in the bank accounts of their three daughters.
Adiba Nayeem Khan's account held Tk35 lakh, Labiba Nayeem Khan's account held Tk1.25 crore, and Zulika Nayeem Khan's account held Tk61 lakh.
Most of these funds have already been withdrawn, according to the BFIU.
Additionally, 46 accounts linked to Nayeemul's affiliated institutions held a total of Tk127.64 crore. Nearly all of this amount has been withdrawn, except only Tk21 lakh.
The BFIU report also showed that Nayeemul, his wife and their children used 12 credit cards, with a total credit limit of Tk28,35,367. Currently, Tk48,408 remains as an outstanding balance on these cards.
Nayeemul himself used six credit cards, each with a limit exceeding Tk15 lakh. His wife held four credit cards with a combined limit of Tk4.19 lakh. Two of his daughters each used credit cards with a limit of around Tk4 lakh.
