The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has approved separate charge sheets against 13 individuals, including Saiful Alam, chairman of S. Alam Group, for embezzling a total of 1 billion BDT by obtaining loans in three installments using fake documents under the name of a shell company. ACC’s Director General Md. Akhtar Hossain announced this at a press conference on Wednesday (October 15) at the ACC headquarters in Segunbagicha, Dhaka.
According to ACC sources, through forgery and abuse of power, a shell company named M/s A M Trading obtained loans of 325 million, 240 million, and 340 million BDT from Reliance Finance Limited (now Aviva Finance Limited) in 2013. These funds were subsequently transferred to various S. Alam Group companies.
The individuals approved for the charge sheets include S. Alam Group chairman Mohammad Saiful Alam, Vice Chairman Abdus Salam, director Mohammad Abdullah Hasan, Shahana Ferdous, former Managing Director of Reliance Finance Prashanta Kumar Haldar, former EVP Rashedul Haque, Nahida Runai, former SVP Kazi Ahmed Jamal, former Deputy Manager Zumaratul Banna, Managing Director of Marin Vegetable Oils Limited Zahir Ahmed, director Tipu Sultan, Md. Ishaq, and M/s A M Trading owner Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun.
Additionally, the ACC has begun investigating Chittagong-based shipbreaking company owner Shawkat Ali Chowdhury and his family members for transactions worth 8 billion BDT and allegations of money laundering abroad. Furthermore, the commission has decided to file a case against Mahy Badruddoza Chowdhury, Joint Secretary of the Alternative Dhara Bangladesh party, for acquiring undisclosed assets. The ACC alleges that he concealed assets worth 96.8465 million BDT and acquired unaccounted wealth of 206.9253 million BDT.