Accused of misappropriating Tk 236.84 million in government land rent and committing fraud । The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has approved the filing of a case against eight individuals, including Mohammad Fahim Ahmed, owner of Agrabad Convention Hall, and Mohammad Shah-Alam Faruk Chowdhury, a former sub-divisional engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) who is currently serving as executive engineer at the Bagerhat Public Works Division.
The case approval follows allegations of abuse of power, document forgery, illegal occupation of government land and misappropriation of Tk 236,839,268 in rent owed for the government property.
The information was confirmed by ACC sources on Sunday, October 4.
According to the ACC, the accused allegedly acted in collusion and abused their official authority to benefit themselves and others. They are accused of using forged and fraudulent documents to illegally occupy 24.96 decimals of government land in the Agrabad commercial area of Chattogram.
The allegations further state that the accused failed to pay outstanding rent for the land and, through forgery and criminal breach of trust, misappropriated Tk 236,839,268 in government revenue.
Mohammad Shah-Alam Faruk Chowdhury previously served as executive engineer of PWD's Dhaka Division-2 for five years. During that period, he was responsible for government facilities of national importance, including Ganabhaban and the Prime Minister's Office.
Several engineers of the Public Works Department reportedly said that Shah-Alam Faruk Chowdhury had been absent from his workplace without authorization for more than a year. According to sources described as reliable, he has already moved to Canada. However, an official confirmation regarding his reported absence and current whereabouts was not available in the information provided.
The ACC has decided to initiate legal proceedings against the accused under Sections 409, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 109 of the Penal Code, alongside Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
These provisions cover offences including criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, using forged documents as genuine and abetting criminal acts, as applicable to the allegations.
The ACC's approval marks a step towards initiating formal legal proceedings against the individuals concerned. Further investigation is expected to examine the alleged irregularities, the roles of the accused and the financial transactions related to the government property.
The allegations raise concerns about the management and protection of public land, the collection of outstanding government rent and accountability in the administration of state-owned property.
However, the allegations have yet to be established through the judicial process. The accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in accordance with the law.