ICT minister earned Tk2 lakh from talk shows this year

The annual income of State Minister for Information and Communication (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak jumped from Tk1 lakh to more than Tk32 lakh in the last 15 years. 

The bulk of his income came from the honorarium he gets as a state minister – around Tk21 lakh. 

Movable assets under Palak's name have increased since he became a Member of Parliament in 2008, according to the affidavit he submitted for the upcoming 12th Jatiya Sangsad elections to contest the Natore-3 seat.

Palak's wife's wealth has also increased.

In the affidavit submitted in 2008, he showed movable assets of a little over Tk2 lakh; according to the affidavit submitted for the upcoming election, his movable assets are now worth Tk3.64 crore.

According to the affidavits, in 2013, Palak, also the vice-president of Natore district Awami League, saw his assets increase to Tk66.42 lakh, while his annual income jumped to Tk18 lakh.

In 2018, Palak declared his moveable and immovable assets are worth Tk2.79 crore; his annual income remained the same at Tk18 lakh.

His wife had movable assets of Tk1.65 lakh in 2008, while her present movable assets are worth Tk2.63 crore.

She also owns 30 bhoris of gold and some electronic equipment.

According to the affidavit, Palak earned Tk7.76 lakh from bank deposit interests. 

He has shown an income of a little over Tk2 lakh from talk shows.

The state minister's wife's income is about Tk19 lakh per year, which was Tk84,000 in 2008. 

The sources of his wife's income are investments in agriculture, rent and savings bonds.

The affidavit said Zunaid Ahmed Palak has Tk1.17 crore in cash, $10,000 in foreign currency, and about Tk6.66 lakh deposited in the bank. 

He has also purchased Tk30 lakh worth of savings bonds.

He also has fixed deposits of Tk95 lakh.

Palak also has a shotgun and a pistol registered under his name.

He has shown having about Tk46 lakh in cash and Tk54 lakh in the bank, Tk45 lakh in savings certificates and Tk1.18 crore in fixed deposits under his wife's name.

In 2008, Zunaid Ahmed Palak provided the expenses for his election campaign through bank loans. 

At that time, he said he had Tk20,000 and his wife had Tk10,000 in the bank. This time he mentioned the account of assets of Tk4,71,82,445 in his name.

Palak owned one bigha of agricultural land, 18 decimal non-agricultural land and an apartment in 2008. 

Now he has 243 decimal agricultural land and half decimal non-agricultural land in his name. 

He has spent Tk20 lakhs for renovations to his wife's house.

He also mentioned an ancestral two-storey house in the affidavit. He said he has received a 10-katha plot from the RAJUK in the east of Dhaka. 

He mentioned a debt of about Tk5.33 lakh as his liability.

The incumbent Natore-3 MP also said he took out a loan to buy a car.

In 2008, the state minister's wife had no agricultural land under her name. 

He owned 15 decimal non-agricultural land. Now she has 900 decimal agricultural land and about 137 decimal non-agricultural land under her name.

She owns two shops in Shewrapara area of Dhaka. She also has an investment of Tk50 lakh in her husband's house and owns a flat of 1,720 square feet in Dhaka.

Zunaid Ahmed Palak was first elected from Natore-3 (Singra) Constituency in 2008. He was the youngest Member of Parliament then. After being elected Member of Parliament in 2014, he was given the charge of Minister of State for ICT.

He mentioned his educational qualification as postgraduate and lawyer by profession. There were three cases against him. He was acquitted of two of them. Another case has been under legal process.