A Dhaka court has directed the seizure of income tax records linked to former Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel and Seema Hamid, the wife of former State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid Bipu.

The order was issued by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Galib on Sunday, following the hearing of separate petitions filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Court Inspector Amir Hossain said that the petition against Nowfel was submitted by ACC Deputy Director Kamalesh Mandal as part of an ongoing investigation.

In addition to allegations of "illegal wealth" and "money laundering," Nowfel is also facing charges related to murder and persecution during the mass uprising.

Since the ousting of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, he has largely remained out of the public spotlight.

Regarding the case involving "illegal assets," ACC Director General (Prevention) Akhter Hossain revealed to journalists on December 17 that investigations had uncovered deposits exceeding Tk 1.13 billion and withdrawals of Tk 973 million from 41 bank accounts linked to Nowfel and his organisations.

The ACC says Nowfel has declared movable and immovable assets worth about Tk 54.4 million in his income tax documents.

Of this, assets worth Tk 29.4 million remain unaccounted for.

A case has been filed against him for acquiring assets beyond his known sources of income.

He served as deputy minister of education from January 2019 to January 2024 and as education minister from January to August 2024.

He was elected as a member of parliament from the Chattogram-9 constituency in both the 11th and 12th national parliamentary elections as an Awami League candidate.

The ACC's application to the court requesting the seizure of income tax documents says since taking office as state minister of education, he has accumulated substantial illegal wealth through "bribery and corruption”.

The ACC is also keen to verify his income and expenditure accounts and determine if he holds any other assets.

SEEMA HAMID

In response to the petition to seize income tax records, Kamalesh said Sima had held assets worth Tk 69.85 million, which are inconsistent with her known sources of income.

He further revealed that Tk 127.79 million was deposited into 20 bank accounts in her name, and Tk 111.18 million was withdrawn, deeming these as “unusual and suspicious”.

The ACC official alleged Seema's husband Bipu had abused his power to amass the wealth owned by his wife.

In his application, he said Bipu’s income tax documents should be seized to verify accurate information regarding his income, expenditure, and other assets.

On Sept 30, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, or BFIU, instructed commercial banks to freeze Bipu's bank accounts.

Following the change of power, the ACC filed cases against Bipu, his wife, and his son Zareef Hamid. Bipu has also been named in those cases.

The statement of the case filed against Bipu says he has acquired movable and immovable assets worth Tk 363.7 million, which is “inconsistent” with his source of income.

In addition, Bipu has made transactions by depositing Tk 31.82 billion in his personal 98 bank accounts and withdrawing Tk 31.30 billion.

Bipu's son Zareef has been accused of acquiring “illegal” assets worth Tk 208.66 million in a case.

According to the case statement, Zareef has acquired assets "inconsistent” with his known source of income through the “abuse” of power and “influence and financial support”.

In addition, Zareef has deposited Tk 277.1 million into his 20 bank accounts and withdrawn Tk 174 million.