The Central Bank has ordered to freeze the bank accounts of his former personal assistant Jahangir Alam, his wife and the institutions related to their interests after the information that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s former pawn has become the owner of Tk 400 crore.
In a press conference, the Prime Minister said, ‘He worked in my house, he was a peon, now he owns 400 crore Taka.’
Soon after, news came that Bangladesh Bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit ordered the freezing of Alam and his wife’s bank accounts under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Jahangir Alam spoke to BBC Bengal about this. He claimed that he did not think that the Prime Minister said the words referring to him.
Jahangir said, ‘Even if my entire clan is united, there will not be so much money. And I have also mentioned what I have in the tax file. I did not commit corruption.’
Khurshid Alam Khan, a lawyer for the Anti-Corruption Commission, however, said, ‘A peon or personal assistant will have four hundred crore rupees – it cannot be normal in any way.’ That’s why he thinks the commission can check it.
Executive director of anti-corruption organization TIB. Iftekharuzzaman said, “The Prime Minister has shown courage by saying this publicly, the concerned should now see whether the money or wealth of the person is compatible with legitimate income or not.”
On December 6, 2023, state news agency BASS reported, ‘Everyone has been warned about Jahangir Alam from the Prime Minister’s office. He has been doing unethical activities by identifying himself as the Prime Minister’s personal assistant for a long time.
Quoting a statement from the Prime Minister’s Press Wing, the Bass report then further said, ‘Jahangir Alam has nothing to do with the Prime Minister or the Prime Minister’s Office.’
The Prime Minister’s office also requested everyone to take the help of the law enforcement agencies if necessary regarding Jahangir Alam, son of deceased Rahmat Ullah of Naharkhil village of Khilpara union of Chatkhil upazila of Noakhali district.
It has been found that Alam is now the vice-president of Chatkhil Upazila Awami League and he sought the nomination of Awami League in the last parliamentary elections.
He said, ‘I wanted nomination for Noakhali-1 seat. Later, I withdrew from the team because I was not told.’
Alam himself stated that he had been working as a personal assistant to the party president long before Awami League came to power. After coming to power in December 2009, he was working as a personal assistant to the Prime Minister.
In the meantime, the news of his involvement in local politics and the news of coming and going in a helicopter along with the sudden acquisition of huge wealth came to the attention of the Prime Minister’s office. Then at the end of last year, the Prime Minister announced the decision to drop him.
Although rejecting the allegations of corruption, Alam said that the issue of Rs 400 crore was not mentioned to him.
He told BBC Bangla about this, ‘I did not commit corruption. After I was discharged I officially submitted what I had with me including identity card. And 400 crores will not be even if the money and assets of my fourteen groups are combined.’
Incidentally, in some recent steps of the ACC, the money and assets of several persons including former police chief Benazir Ahmed and NBR officer Matiur Rahman have come to the media. Assets of some have been confiscated on the orders of the court.