ACC to submit chargesheet against ex-home minister Asaduzzaman, wife

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) will submit a chargesheet against former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and his wife Lutful Tahmina over allegations of amassing illegal wealth and laundering money worth over Tk21.52 crore.

The case was filed on 9 October 2024 by the commission's Integrated District Office, Dhaka-1, ACC spokesperson Aktarul Islam said today (10 March).

During the investigation, the ACC found that assets worth Tk18,43,58,974 were accumulated in the name of Lutful Tahmina.

However, investigators found her legitimate income to be only Tk5,22,28,227, leaving a discrepancy of Tk14,86,97,470, which the ACC described as wealth beyond known sources of income.

Investigators said former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan assisted his wife in acquiring the illegal wealth by abusing his official authority and through bribery and corruption.

The investigation further revealed that Tk6,65,70,780 deposited in the bank account of a company owned by Tahmina was of suspicious origin.

According to the ACC, the funds were likely bribes paid to Asaduzzaman Khan and later laundered through transfers, conversions and layering to conceal the illegal source.

The total amount of alleged illicit wealth and suspicious financial transactions linked to the case stands at Tk21,52,68,250.

The assets include flats, land, commercial spaces and shops as well as movable assets such as business shares, bank deposits, fixed deposit receipts (FDRs), savings certificates and passenger transport buses.

The case was investigated by ACC Deputy Director Muhammad Zainal Abedin of the Special Enquiry and Investigation-1 unit at the ACC headquarters in Dhaka.