Ruling Awami League lawmaker Abdur Rahman Badi and his wife Sahina Akter have no legal business in Teknaf, an Anti-Corruption Commission official told New Age.
He said that the commission’s inquiry team had found a huge mount of illegal wealth in Abdur Rahman’s name.
The official said that the commission’s inquiry officer would investigate the wealth of some of Abdur Rahman’s friends as the officer suspected that Abdur Rahman had transferred some of wealth to his close friends.
Abdur Rahman, also the lawmaker for Cox’s Bazar 4 constituency, on Thursday submitted statements on his and his wife’s wealth to the commission.
The commission’s secretary M Faizur Rahman Chowdhury received the statements at the commission office.
On February 24, the commission sent a notice to Abdur Rahman seeking the statements of his and his wife’s wealth.
The commission usually serve notices to people concerned seeking their wealth statement after preliminary investigations establish that they have accumulated illegal wealth or have given false information on wealth in legal documents such as affidavits.
On February 16, the commission’s deputy director Ahasan Ali interrogated Abdur Rahman at the commission office.
After the interrogation, he said that his family business was the source of his wealth. ‘I have no illegal wealth…. My wealth did not grow illegally…. I am a victim of a media conspiracy. They [media] have started the conspiracy along with my rivals,’ he added.
In reply to a question, Abdur Rahman said that he would resign as lawmaker if the commission could prove that he owned illegal wealth.
As doe his alleged involvement in trading in drug substances, he blamed some media outlet owners as he alleged that those owners were associated with Yaba traders. ‘They [media and Yaba traders] expect some gains from the administration by trying to project me as a Yaba trader.’
According to the affidavit that he submitted to the Election Commission before the January 5 general elections, Abdur Rahmam’s wealth increased 351 times during the tenure of the past AL government (2009-2013).
The commission on January 22 initiated the process to investigate the wealth of seven people who were ministers and lawmakers of the immediate-past Awami League-led government after the wealth statements that they submitted to contest the January 5 elections had shown an unusual increase in their wealth in five years.
