ACC complaint seeks probe into bribery allegation against Asif Nazrul

A Supreme Court (SC) lawyer has petitioned the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) seeking a formal investigation into alleged large-scale bribery involving former interim government adviser Asif Nazrul and his personal secretary Md Masum in connection with widespread transfer irregularities within the law ministry.

Barrister M Sarwar Hossain, who practices before SC, submitted the complaint at ACC headquarters Wednesday, accompanying his filing with a published media report documenting the alleged financial misconduct during the tenure of Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration.

The complaint centers on the transfer process for sub-registrars operating under the law ministry between October 2024 and April 2025. During this eight-month window, approximately 282 of the country's 403 sub-registrars were reportedly relocated, with roughly 200 officials allegedly securing preferred postings through illicit payments.

Individual payments reportedly ranged between 50 lakh and 60 lakh taka per transfer, generating total transactions reaching hundreds of crores according to the complaint. The filing further alleges that transfer orders were sometimes suspended when promised payments failed to materialize.

The complaint describes systematic abandonment of established transfer protocols, claiming lower-grade officials received assignments to higher-grade offices after paying bribes while senior personnel who refused to participate faced punitive transfers to inferior postings.

Adding to the alleged disorder, some officials experienced multiple relocations within months, occasionally receiving fresh transfer directives before completing transitions to previously assigned positions.

The severity of reported irregularities eventually prompted the law ministry to circulate a warning notice on June 1 last year explicitly prohibiting financial transactions related to personnel transfers and cautioning officials against fraudulent solicitations. 

However, the complainant contends that extensive bribery had already occurred before this advisory reached circulation.

The ACC has received the complaint and attached documentation for consideration, though no formal investigation has been announced at this stage.