Motiur, infamous for goat scandal, cries in court but judge asks him to remain patient

“Please grant me bail. I can present the documents with me to the court and prove myself innocent once I am granted bail,” he says, distraught

Motiur Rahman, a former official at the National Board of Revenue (NBR), who became infamous for a goat scandal, has broken into tears during the hearing of his bail plea in court.

When ‎Motiur began shedding tears at the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court on Tuesday, Judge Zakir Hossain Galib asked him to be patient and turned down his bail plea.

Motiur was produced in court over a case of acquiring wealth beyond known source of income. His lawyer Md Wahiduzzaman petitioned for his bail. After the lawyer's statement, Motiur asked for permission to speak.

When the court granted permission, he said: "I wrote a letter to the ACC (Anti-Corruption Commission) from prison. I’m providing you a copy of the letter. Please read my letter and I will accept whatever order you issue."

“My family has been destroyed. My wife and I are both in prison. My mother is paralysed. There is no one to look after her,” said Motiur.

He broke down in tears, saying: “Please grant me bail. I can present the documents with me to the court and prove myself innocent once I am granted bail.”

The judge told him, “It cannot be determined now whether you are guilty. Currently, the case is under investigation, so you will have to be patient.”

The judge then turned down his bail plea.

In 2024, a man named Mushfiqur Rahman Ifat went viral on social media after he posted on Facebook about purchasing a goat for Eid-ul-Azha at a price of Tk 1.5 million. People wondered at the source of his income. In social media posts, Ifat identified Motiur as his father.

However, in a TV interview, Motiur denied that Ifat was his son and claimed he only had two children -- a son and a daughter.

At one point Nizam Uddin Hazari, Feni-2 MP, appeared on a television programme and claimed that Ifat was Motiur’s son from his second marriage.

Motiur was transferred from the NBR amid the goat scandal. On Jan 6, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed three cases against Motiur and his family. Motiur was named in all three cases.

Then, on Jan 14, 2025, the Detective Branch (DB) arrested Motiur and his wife Laila Kaniz Lucky.