Twenty-five plots, houses of health directorate clerk, wife under attachment

The authorities have put under attachment 25 houses and plots owned by Abjal Hossain, a health directorate clerk recently suspended for alleged corruption, and his wife Rubina Khanom.

Several bank accounts of the couple have also been frozen while a 2000cc Toyota Harrier owned by Rubina has been seized.

Anti-Corruption Commission spokesman Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya told bdnews24.com about the latest developments on the investigation against the couple.

Having joined a regional project of the Directorate General of Health Services or DGHS in 1995 as an office assistant, a temporary job, Abjal was promoted to accounts officer at the directorate’s Medical Education Department in Dhaka’s Mohakhali.

The directorate recently suspended him as an administrative officer at its Institute of Health Technology after ACC investigation found the huge amount of assets of the couple.

Rubina joined the DGHS in a regional project as stenographer in 1998 but went on voluntary retirement two years later.

The couple, who reportedly bought a 200,000 Australian dollar house in Sydney, have been under travel ban due to the ACC inquiry.

ACC Deputy Director Md Shamsul Alam, who is investigating the couple, got court orders in his favour to have their assets frozen.

The assets include houses and plots at Mirpur, Pallabi, Uttara, Khillkhet, Bashundhara, Savar and Keraniganj in Dhaka, Faridpur, Rajbarhi, and Khulna.

They also have accounts in First Security Islami Bank, Agrani Bank, AB Bank and some other financial institutions, according to the Pranab. 

The ACC quizzed Abjal at its headquarters on Jan 10.

It is also quizzing some other DGHS officials for allegedly aiding Abjal and Rubina to acquire the assets through corruption.

The agency previously questioned DGHS Assistant Director (Budget) Anisur Rahman and summoned line directors Kazi Jahangir Hossain and Abdur Rashid.