Mosaddek Ali Falu, wife’s assets frozen in ACC investigation into 'illegal wealth'

The authorities have frozen the assets of former BNP MP Mohammad Mosaddek Ali, nicknamed Falu, and his wife Mahbuba Sultana, including shares of the firm that owns NTV, as part of investigation into alleged corruption.

The couple will not be able to transfer their movable and immovable assets following the move by the Anti-Corruption Commission or ACC, according to its spokesman Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya.

There will no bar on the related companies to continue operations, Pranab told bdnews24.com on Sunday.

The national anti-graft agency acted upon orders by Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge KM Imrul Kayes in September last year following investigator ACC Deputy Director Syed Ahmed’s petition in two cases started in 2017.   

Falu and Sultana’s immovable assets put under attachment include a six-storey building at Gulshan, 67 decimal land at Uttarkhan, 45 decimal at Moghbazar, two shops on Bangabandhu Avenue, 18 decimal at Kakrail, 82.5 at Baunia, 6.5 decimal at Tejgaon, and a flat at South Shahjahanpur.  

Their frozen movable assets include shares of International Television Channel Limited that owns NTV, Roza Agro Limited, Roza Properties Limited, Star Porcelain Limited, and MAH Securities Limited.

The ACC approved the charges of accumulating illegal wealth of around Tk 220 million and providing false information against the couple on Jan 21 this year.

The watchdog prosecuted Falu in one of the two cases at Ramna Police Station on May 15, 2017. He is accused of earning wealth of around Tk 176.7 million from unknown sources.

On Aug 10 the same year, the ACC prosecuted Mahbuba on the same charges related to wealth of over Tk 39.4 million.