Photo : Messenger
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against three persons on charges of corruption in the allotment of 158 shops or spaces in the Gulistan Shopping Complex building in the capital.
However, the investigation is yet to be completed even after two years. On 20 January 2022, ACC Deputy Director SM Rashedur Reza filed the case at ACC's Integrated District Office (Dhaka-1).
When asked whether the investigation has been completed, Deputy Director SM Rashedur Reza told The Daily Messenger on Sunday, "I have been transferred and left the head office. I don't know anything about this.”
In the case, the managing director of Soptex Limited of Bhangnahati in Sreepur Upazila of Gazipur, businessman Ziaul Ahsan, a resident of Gulshan-1 area, Golam Mostafa Kamal of
Baridhara, Dhaka, and former chief administrator of Gulistan Shopping Complex Building, Mahmud Parvez Jewel, a resident of Mohammadpur, were accused. Golam Mostafa Kamal hails from Bancharampur upazila of Brahmanbaria.
According to the statement, the three abused their power for financial gain. ASM Alauddin is the only legally authorised person for the allotment of space in the Gulistan Shopping Complex and the execution of the salami agreement.
However, Ziaul Ahsan signed 101 shop/space allotment papers and Golam Mostafa Kamal 49, though neither of them executed any salami agreement. Apart from this, a total of 158 shops, including eight others, were allotted without any allotment letter or salami agreement signed by the former head of Gulistan Shopping Complex Trust, Mahmud Parvez Jewel, which is an offence punishable under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
According to the statement, M/s The Western Engineers Ltd. Al-Hossain Mansion of DIT Road, Rampura, Dhaka, was given a work order for the construction of a 20-story building on 0.614 acres of land in Gulistan Complex under the 'build and transfer' method.
General Manager Khandaker Fazlul Haque signed the original agreement on February 27, 2001, and the supplementary agreement on July 26, 2006, on behalf of the Bangladesh Freedom Fighters Welfare Trust with ASM Alauddin, Managing Director of Western Engineers. Construction continued until 2006.
The construction of a building with up to 11 floors and two basements was completed. Then the developer company stopped construction. According to the decision of the 21st meeting of the Executive Committee on January 3, 2012, the developer company was given a notice to inform them about the construction work within seven days. Bangladesh Muktijoddha Kalyan
Trust cancelled the original and supplementary contract executed with The Western Engineers Limited on July 10, 2012.
Golam Mostafa Kamal told The Daily Messenger, "The managing director of Western Engineers, ASM Alauddin, used to come and sit at my house all day. He had no work. I started my first job with two house mortgages. Through Alauddin Chowdhury Nasim, the then Protocol Officer of the Prime Minister, I got him the construction of the Gulistan Shopping Complex. He is also supposed to be accused in this case.”
He said, "Alauddin has filed a case against us because if we are removed, it will be convenient to loot. We have signed on as a partner. We filed a money suit case against Alauddin in the judge's court. A case of embezzlement of Tk 284 crore by the Bangladesh Freedom Fighters Welfare Trust is going on in ACC against him.
Golam Mustafa Kamal said, "ACC did not call us after filing the case. Currently, I have no idea whether Mahmud Parvez Jewel is in America or in Dhaka.”
Golam Mustafa Kamal said, "Alauddin and Ziaul Ahsan came to my house and offered me a job. I got the work from the Prime Minister. Then, in 2008, when the BNP government came to power, they changed their tune. I was supposed to be made a director; it didn't happen anymore. The Sea Palace Hotel was built with the money.”
ASM Alauddin, chairman and managing director of Western Group, Western Engineers, and Hotel Sea Palace in Cox's Bazar, did not respond to calls and messages on WhatsApp.
Ziaul Ahsan, Managing Director of Soptex Limited, did not receive a call and did not respond to WhatsApp messages.
Messenger/Disha
