Kamal Chowdhury, Nazrul Islam Majumder among 4 arrested

“There are specific allegations against each of them,” a police official says

Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, a former advisor to Sheikh Hasina and former principal secretary, has been arrested.

Three others – former Exim Bank and BAB chairman Nazrul Islam Majumder, former youth and sports secretary Mezbah Uddin Ahmed and Bashundhara Group Co-ordinator Adnan – have also been arrested during a raid by police detectives in different parts of the capital on Tuesday night.

“There are specific allegations against each of them,” said Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Talebur Rahman, a spokesman for the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

Kamal is known as a poet. Hasina appointed him as the advisor on education and cultural affairs during the Awami League’s four consecutive terms in power.

He also served as the former prime minister’s principal secretary after retiring from his public service job. He was also the chief coordinator of the national committee formed to oversee the celebrations of Bangabandhu’s birth centenary.

The trusted aide to Hasina had not been seen in public since the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5.

Majumder, the NASSA Group chairman with close ties to Hasina, was also reportedly in hiding.

The chairman of Exim Bank, he was also the chairman of the Bangladesh Association of Banks for 17 consecutive years from January 2008.

After the government changeover, Bangladesh Bank reorganised the board of directors, removing Majumder from Exim Bank. He was also relieved of his duties at BAB.

The bank accounts of Majumder, his wife Nasrin Islam, and children have also been frozen.