Complaint filed against Jahangir with ACC for concealing info in election affidavit

Two days after the rejection of his nomination paper, a complaint has been filed against expelled Gazipur City Corporation mayor and an aspirant of the upcoming election Jahangir Alam for concealing information in the election affidavit and his tax returns.

Gono Front-backed candidate Atiqul Islam filed the complaint with the Anti-Corruption Commission's Gazipur district office on Tuesday.

Confirming the news, Atiqul Islam told The Business Standard he filed the complaint not as a mayoral candidate but a citizen. 

In response, Mohammad Jahangir Alam said the complaint has been filed deliberately in order to cause troubles for him in running for elections. 

"All this is done to get rid of me from the election race as I used to be mayor of this city. People are spreading false propaganda against me, and even harassing me with lawsuits," said Jahangir.

A copy of the written complaint was obtained by The Business Standard.

The complaint stated that the suspended and later expelled mayor of Gazipur City Corporation Mohammad Jahangir Alam concealed information about his assets in his election affidavit. 

It said the discrepancies in Jahangir's income tax returns for the financial years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 show that he hid information about his actual assets, income and spending. 

"In the affidavit, Jahangir showed the total value of the modern elevator at his house, two dozen ACs, refrigerators, TVs, computers, laptops and other electronic equipment are worth Tk1.75 lakh, and furniture including conference table and half a hundred chairs, plush bed, royal sofa are worth Tk1.50 lakh. I believe the net worth will be around Tk5 crore," Atiqul objected in the complaint.

"It has been mentioned in the income tax return that in his Private Supply business, he received a bill of Tk28.67 crore in the financial year 2019-2020 and Tk34.77 crore in Fy20-21," stated the complaint.

Jahangir withheld his profit and loss account as well as the salary he earns as the managing director of two companies in income tax returns, said Atiqul.

He alleged that Jahangir made extensive falsifications in the Income Tax returns in collusion with some officials of the concerned Income Tax Offices. 

Mozaher Ali Sarder, deputy director of the Gazipur Integrated District Office of the Anti-Corruption Commission, told The Business Standard, "We have received the written complaint. We have a selection committee here. They will scrutinise the allegation and send it to the Dhaka office for approval. After the verification, if we think the investigation is worthy, then we will take the next course of action."