ACC prosecutes former minister Faridul, wife over ‘illicit assets’

The two have been accused of acquiring assets worth over Tk 40 million

The Anti-Corruption Commission, or ACC, has prosecuted former religious affairs minister Faridul Haque Khan and his wife Afroza Haque on charges of acquiring “wealth beyond means”.

They have been accused in two lawsuits of amassing assets worth over Tk 40 million beyond legitimate sources, the corruption watchdog’s Director General Md Akhter Hossain told the media on Sunday.

He said information had been found against the former Jamalpur-2 MP for acquiring assets worth Tk 30.49 million through "abuse of power", which is inconsistent with his known source of income.

In addition, the ACC official said a total of Tk 524.65 million was found in “suspicious” transactions across 11 bank accounts in the name of entities associated with the former Awami League minister.

Describing the transactions as money laundering, Akhter said: “The accused has concealed the source of money or property acquired through corruption and bribery.”

Afroza, the wife of the former minister, has been accused of acquiring assets worth Tk 12.35 million, which were described as "income beyond known sources".

Faridul has also been charged alongside his wife with money laundering in the lawsuit.

After being elected as a member of parliament in the national elections held on Jan 7, 2024, Faridul became the religious affairs minister after serving as a state minister in the previous government.