Court orders to attach properties of Matiur, family members
FE REPORT | Friday, 5 July 2024
A Dhaka court on Thursday, granting a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), ordered attachment of 1,017-decimal land and four flats owned by Matiur Rahman, former member (Customs and Excise) of the National Board of Revenue, and two of his family members.
The petition sought attachment of 1,017 decimal land in Narsingdi and Barishal owned by Matiur, his first wife's son Ahmed Toufiqur Rahman Arnob, first wife's daughter Farzana Rahman Ipshita and second wife's daughter Shammi Akhter.
It also sought attachment of a multi-storey building in a five khata plot at Bashundhara in the city after the name of Ipshita, a 2,540 square feet flat in the same area after the name of Matiur's wife Layla Kaniz Lucky, one flat at Dhanmondi after the name of Shammi and another five khata plot at Bashundhara after the name of Shammi.
Judge of the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court in Dhaka, Mohammed Ash-Shams Joglul Hossain, passed the order after hearing the petition.
Earlier on July 3, ACC Deputy Director Md Anwar Hossain, also the head of the enquiry team, applied to the court for the attachment of the properties.
In the petition, the ACC said, "Matiur and his family members are trying to hand over the immovable properties owned by them. If they can do so, aftermaths of the investigation process, including filing case, submission of charge sheet and confiscation of the properties after trial, may be hindered. So the properties owned by them need to be crocked."
ACC public prosecutors Mir Ahmed Ali Salam and Mahmud Hossain Jahangir confirmed the court order to the FE.
On June 24, the same court slapped a travel ban on Matiur Rahman and two of his family members over corruption allegations against them.
The family members are Layla Kaniz Lucky, Matiur's wife and also upazila parishad chairman of Narsingdi's Raipura, and his son Ahmed Taufiqur Rahman Arnob.
The ACC earlier formed a three-member committee to enquire into the allegations brought against them.
The controversy regarding Matiur's wealth surfaced after his son Mushfiqur Rahman Ifat posted a photo of a sacrificial goat on social media and claimed to have bought it for Tk1.2 million.
This raised questions about the income of this official at this grade (a grade-1) with a basic monthly salary of Tk78,000.
Later, social media saw photos of Ifat with cars of various brands, and the wealth including flats and resorts of Matiur in various places, including Dhaka, Gazipur, Barishal and Narsingdi surfaced.