Staff Correspondent
Former NBR official Matiur Rahman, implicated in the “goat scandal,” was denied bail by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain Galib. Brought to court from jail, Rahman pleaded for bail, but the prosecution opposed it. After hearing both sides, the court rejected his plea and ordered him back to prison. Rahman emotionally appealed, citing his family’s suffering—his wife is also jailed, and his paralyzed mother has no one to care for her—but the court stated the investigation is ongoing, and he must wait.
The controversy began when a young man, Mushfiqur Rahman Ifat, sparked outrage on social media for buying a sacrificial goat for 15 lakh taka. It was later revealed that his father, Matiur Rahman, was an NBR official. Investigations exposed the family’s alleged illegal wealth, including 65 bighas of land, eight flats, two resorts, three businesses, and seized bank accounts.
On June 4 last year, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) launched a probe into Matiur’s disproportionate assets. By June 24, a court barred Matiur, his first wife, and their children from traveling abroad as the investigation unfolded.