Over 91% of MPs have assets worth more than Tk1 crore: SHUJAN
Saeed Ahmed, elected from Shariatpur-1 as a BNP candidate, is the wealthiest MP, declaring assets worth Tk1,199.95 crore
More than 91% of newly elected MPs in the 13th National Parliament have reported assets worth more than Tk1 crore, indicating a high concentration of wealth among lawmakers, according to Transparency International Bangladesh's affiliate Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN).
Of the 297 elected MPs, 271 lawmakers (91.25%) declared assets exceeding Tk1 crore, while 187 MPs (62.96%) reported assets worth more than Tk5 crore.
Only two lawmakers reported assets below Tk25 lakh, while three others did not provide details in their affidavits.
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The findings were revealed today (19 February) at a press conference titled "Presentation of Information on Newly Elected Members of the 13th National Parliament", organised by SHUJAN at the Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall of the National Press Club in Dhaka.
The event was moderated by SHUJAN Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar, with data presented by central coordinator Dilip Kumar Sarkar.
The analysis also shows party-wise distribution of wealth. Of the 209 MPs elected from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), 201 reported assets exceeding Tk1 crore, while 52 of 68 MPs from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami fall into the same category.
SHUJAN noted that wealthier candidates are increasingly winning elections, while participation by individuals with lower asset levels is declining. Among all parliamentary candidates, 55.63% were millionaires, while 18.71% (379 individuals) had assets below Tk25 lakh. Including 58 candidates who did not disclose assets, the figure rises to 21.57% (437 individuals).
Compared to the 12th parliamentary election, the share of wealthy winners has risen. Millionaire MPs now account for 91.25% of the House, up from 89.97% in the previous election.
Conversely, MPs with assets below Tk25 lakh have declined from 3.01% to just 0.67%.
Top 10 wealthiest MPs
Among the newly elected MPs, the wealthiest is Saeed Ahmed, elected from Shariatpur-1 as a BNP candidate, with total assets of Tk1,199.95 crore.
Other high-asset lawmakers include BNP's Abdul Awal Mintoo with Tk946.81 crore, Zakaria Taher (Tk770.89 crore), Golam Mohammad Siraj (Tk613.56 crore), Md Shafiqul Rahman Kiran (Tk557.64 crore), Fakhr Uddin Ahmed (Tk465.14 crore), Naser Rahman (Tk380.64 crore), Md Jalal Uddin (Tk364.12 crore), Mirza Abbas Uddin Ahmed (Tk325.94 crore), and independent MP Md Abdul Hannan with Tk318.18 crore.
