Photo : Collected
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) discovered undisclosed assets worth Tk1 crore, 55 lakh, and 27 thousand in the possession of Gazi Md. Altafuzzaman, a former supervising engineer (civil) at the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB). Similarly, his wife, Shahana Shirin, was found to have undisclosed assets worth Tk1 crore, 10 lakh, and 70 thousand.
As per the information from the ACC sources, these assets were obtained without verification of the asset declaration. The quantity of illegitimate assets may fluctuate after filing the asset declaration.
It was known that the information surfaced during an enquiry into alleged fraudulent activities surrounding the procurement of vehicles for the 'Capital (Pilot) Dredging of the River System in Bangladesh' project.
Currently, Abdul Malek, the assistant director of Chattogram -2, is spearheading the ongoing enquiry. Prior to his involvement, Deputy Director Humayun Kabir and Assistant Director Riaz Uddin were leading the enquiry.
It was known that, upon the conclusion of a preliminary enquiry in 2019, a report was submitted to the Commission. Following the ACC Act 2004, Section 26(1), the enquiry officer, Assistant Director Abdul Malek, recommended issuing a notice for asset declarations and submitting an enquiry report.
At the Commission meeting on September 5, ACC Director General (Investigation - 2) Zakir Hossain presented the report, which resulted in the Commission's approval to issue the asset declaration notice.
In response to the accusations, engineer Gazi Mohammad Altafuzzaman conveyed to The Daily Messenger, "I retired in April 2020 and was never involved in the 'Capital (Pilot) Dredging on the River System in Bangladesh' project. I did hold back one bill from the contractors, which seems to be the reason behind this whole issue. I had no responsibilities in Chattogram, yet a complaint was lodged against me at the ACC's Chattogram office. I provided property accounts to Assistant Director Riaz in 2018. I don't have any undisclosed assets, neither does my wife. It's likely an error on the part of the ACC."
He went on to mention details about his family, including his son's work in America, his daughter's completion of studies at Dhaka University, and his wife's retirement from the Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) service. He also referred to his past involvement in Chhatra League politics during his time at Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) and his role as the president of the management committee of the Bangladesh Water Development Board Central Jame Masjid in Dhaka's Green Road area.
Altafuzzaman currently resides in Lalmatia, Dhaka, with his ancestral home situated in Bakshiganj upazila of Jamalpur district.
When questioned about the report he submitted to the commission, ACC Assistant Director Abdul Malek stated, "I've submitted the report; what followed afterward, I'm not aware of." He refrained from commenting on whether an asset declaration notice had been issued.
The 'Capital (Pilot) Dredging of the River System in Bangladesh' project, initiated in 2012 at a cost of about Tk 1.28 crore, aimed to revive the country's ailing rivers by enhancing their navigability, bolstering water capacity, mitigating floods, preventing river erosion, and reclaiming land through sand filling. The project included plans for housing, educational institutions, industries, and afforestation on reclaimed land. Its pivotal components comprised 22 km of capital and maintenance dredging at two locations in the Jamuna River, along with an assessment of sustainable river management systems in Bangladesh.
Messenger/Disha
