ACC grills ex-APS Shailel on graft charges

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) on Tuesday interrogated Soumendra Lal Chandra Shailel, former assistant personal secretary (APS) of ex-State Minister for Religious Affairs Advocate M Shahjahan Miah, on graft charges. ACC deputy director Ahsan Ali grilled Shailel for two hours from 10 am at the ACC head office in Segun Bagicha, ACC public relations officer Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya said. On February 5 this year, the graft watchdog appointed deputy director Ahsan Ali as an inquiry officer to probe the allegations against Shailel of illegal accumulation of wealth and laundering money abroad. According to the graft allegation received by the ACC, Shailel accumulated wealth worth about Tk 500 million illegally in the last five years when he was an APS of former State Minister for Religious Affairs Shahjahan Miah. Shailel has a five-storey building in Patuakhali district town while he and his wife also have flats in Dhaka city and several cars. It was also alleged that Shailel had siphoned off huge money abroad as his mother and siblings are currently living in India. ACC sources said that during the questioning today, the former APS admitted that his mother and siblings are currently living in India, but he did not siphon off any money abroad. Denying his involvement in any graft, Shailel said he had a car and built a five-storey building in Patuakhali district town in 2012 taking loan, according to UNB.