Masood took bribes to protect top smugglers

Former head of the central bank’s financial intelligence unit, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), Masud Biswas has been arrested. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) arrested him on Saturday in a case of illegal wealth acquisition in collaboration with the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective (DB) Police.

ACC sources said that in addition to owning huge wealth through irregularities and corruption, former BFIU chief Masud Biswas laundered money. He owns several lands and flats in different places in Dhaka. His wife also has many assets in her name. During his tenure, he was a top money launderer, was involved in financial irregularities and acquired a huge amount of wealth by covering up money laundering cases. He also laundered that money abroad. This information came to light during the Anti-Corruption Commission’s initial intelligence investigation. Later, the ACC filed a case against him.

ACC Director General (Special Investigation) Mir Md. Zainul Abedin Shibli said that the case in which he has been arrested is a case of illegal wealth acquisition. There, he acquired wealth worth about Tk 2 crore more than his income by abusing his power. He has been arrested in this case. There are many more charges against him. We will interrogate him extensively to get his statement on this charge.

The ACC Director General said that a case has been filed against him (Masud Biswas). An investigation officer has already been appointed for the case. The investigation officer will investigate the entire matter thoroughly.

The complaint filed with the ACC against the former head of BFIU states that while in office, Masud Biswas ended the irregularities in the purchase of Sky Capital Airlines aircraft by accepting bribes instead of sending it to the law enforcement agency. It is alleged against him that the report on financial irregularities, including looting of about 5,000 crore taka from the bank of NRB Commercial Bank Chairman Tamal Parvez, was allowed to be sent as a ‘general observation report’ instead of being sent as an intelligence report. The bank account of Himidri Limited, listed on the stock exchange, has been suspended due to irregularities and abnormal price increase. It is alleged that Masud Biswas ordered the withdrawal of money in exchange for ‘financial benefits’.

ACC sources said that despite having ‘confirmed information’ of money laundering against Tanaka Group, SA Group and Anwar Group, Masud Biswas registered the complaints ‘for personal benefit’ without sending them to the law enforcement agency. There are several other allegations of money laundering against Masud Biswas. He has amassed a huge amount of wealth by taking crores of taka loans from Islami Bank in collusion with S Alam Group Chairman Saiful Islam, ‘smuggling’ ‘immoral benefits’ from Abdul Qadir Mollah’s Thermex Group abroad and covering up the money laundering case of Zeenat Enterprises ‘in exchange for bribes’. The ACC launched a public inquiry against Masud Biswas on September 25 last year after initially observing that Masud Biswas had illegally acquired wealth based on confidential ‘source information’. A four-member team led by the commission’s deputy director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan was tasked with the investigation. Then on October 3, the ACC sent a letter to the special branch of the police to prevent Masud Biswas from traveling abroad.

On January 2, the ACC filed a case against Masud Biswas on charges of amassing assets worth Tk 1,47,72,622.

The ACC said that after receiving information about ‘unknown assets’ worth Tk 7,256,999 in the name of Masud Biswas’s wife Kamrun Nahar, the commission decided to issue a notice seeking an account of the assets.

It is learned that on Saturday, the ACC, with the help of DB police, arrested Masud Biswas from the capital’s Mirpur area. Later, Masud Biswas was taken to the ACC office around 12:15 pm. He was then produced in court. After the hearing, the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Masuma Rahman ordered Masud Biswas to be sent to jail in the ACC case.

State lawyer Omar Faruk Faruki said that when Masud Biswas’s lawyer applied to the court for division and medical facilities as per prison rules, the judge rejected it.

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