Report of 14 houses in US baseless, malicious: Dhaka Wasa MD 

Dhaka WASA Managing Director Taqsem A Khan termed baseless and malicious the recent media report which claimed he owns 14 residences in the US. 

"Among the 14 houses mentioned in the report, five were rented by my family at various times. Another house is registered in my wife's name," he said at a press conference at the Dhaka Wasa office in Kawran Bazar yesterday, a day after the report was published.

Earlier on Monday, the Dhaka Wasa MD, while speaking with The Business Standard, termed the corruption allegations brought up against him as "100% fake."

On the same day, the High Court asked the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate two complaints filed with the ACC regarding the purchase of 14 houses in the United States by the Dhaka Wasa managing director.

The court also asked the ACC to inform about the investigation progress within 15 days when ACC senior lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan brought the news report to the court's attention.

Meanwhile, addressing the allegations, Taqsem said his wife holds a government job in the US, and his family members have been American citizens since 1995.

"Reports noting that international intelligence agencies are investigating my financial transactions and the houses are a media stunt," he claimed.

"My wife and children are well established in the US, so buying a house there isn't too difficult. There is a house in my wife's name. It can't be called a house either -- it's an apartment," he said.

Taqsem also rebuffed allegations that he used the WASA job to amass wealth that was then laundered to the US.

"I came back from there [the US] to work at the WASA. My wife works in the government there. My son also has a very good job there. They don't need to rely on my income to get by. They are doing very well. That's why there's nothing unusual about my wife having an apartment in her name.

"There have been various reports about me. But all of them have already been proven false. So they are all untrue and ill-motivated. Those who haven't or aren't getting any immoral benefits from WASA are mainly behind it," he said.

"My son had also once rented a house there, but he gave it up long ago. My name was written down as the guardian." 

Taqsem claimed that their names were taken from the internet and the report was published to malign him.

Asked why he has been serving at Dhaka Wasa for around 14 years, he said, "Those who feel aggrieved at the good work being done by Dhaka WASA lodged these complaints. I have never made any ill-gotten money in my life. And I never will. I wanted to leave the post of WASA MD many times. But I have been requested to stay on."

Meanwhile, the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) strongly condemned not allowing entry of some journalists to the press conference at a government institution.

DUJ President Sohel Haider Chowdhury and General Secretary Akhter Hossain in a statement urged WASA Managing Director Taqsem A Khan to refrain from such activities.

"It is the professional responsibility of the journalists who went to collect the news of the press conference. Blocking journalists from entering the Dhaka WASA building amounts to obstructing them from performing their duties; which is contradictory to the country's Constitution and government's independent media policy," said the statement.

The leaders warned that the DUJ is always ready to deal with any kind of harassment faced by journalists.