ACC files chargesheet against Mirza Abbas
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Tuesday filed a charge sheet against BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas and his wife Afroza Abbas in the case of amassing illegal wealth of Tk20.76 crore filed in 2019.
ACC Deputy Director and the investigation officer of the case Nurul Huda filed the charge sheet on Tuesday in the special judge's court in Dhaka.
Amid the ongoing anti-government movement of BNP, the ACC filed a case against five people including Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, and wife Tahera Khasru Alam.
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However, the ACC says that there is no political connection with the filing of the charge sheet in the case.
"There is no political connection with the filing of the charge sheet in the case. ACC conducts investigations in accordance with its own rules and regulations. Charge sheets have been filed against them after investigation," ACC Secretary Mahbub Hossain told the journalists in a press conference at the ACC office.
Mirza Abbas's lawyers said that since 2007, 155 cases have been filed against Mirza Abbas. On 8 December, Mirza Abbas was arrested from his house in Naya Paltan in a sabotage case entering the BNP's mass rally on 10 December. He is yet to get bail in that case. The ACC filed at least seven cases.
According to the charge sheet, Mirza Abbas was a Member of Parliament, Minister and Mayor of Dhaka City Corporation from 1991 to 1995. He was the housing and public works minister from 2001 to 2006. He obtained the wealth in the name of Afroza Abbas till August 16, 2007 through bribery and corruption by virtue of being a Member of Parliament, Mayor and Minister.
Afroza Abbas and her husband Mirza Abbas were charged under Section 27 (1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, Section 109 of the Penal Code and also the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2008, 2009 and 2012, for committing the offense of illegal transfer of wealth, conversion and concealment of assets.
On 7 July, 2019, the former Assistant Director of the ACC Salahuddin and investigation officer at the Shahjahanpur police station of the capital had filed the case alleging that Abbas had acquired assets worth Tk 20.76 crore.
