ACC prepares to sue ex-minister Ruhal Haque, his son

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) approved filing separate cases against former Health Minister Professor Dr AFM Ruhal Haque and his son, Ziaul Haque, on allegations of acquiring assets disproportionate to their known sources of income and conducting suspicious financial transactions.

ACC Secretary Md Saidur Rahman Khan disclosed the decision while briefing reporters on Monday.

According to the case statements approved by the commission, movable and immovable assets worth Tk 39 crore 30 lakh 53 thousand 645 were found in Ruhal Haque's name. Of the total, immovable assets were valued at Tk 8 crore 47 lakh 29 thousand 862, while movable assets stood at Tk 30 crore 83 lakh 23 thousand 783.

His family and other expenditures were calculated at Tk 5 crore 72 lakh 72 thousand 112, bringing the aggregate value of his assets and expenditure to Tk 45 crore 3 lakh 25 thousand 757. Against this, the ACC identified legitimate income of Tk 25 crore 88 lakh 46 thousand 737, leaving Tk 19 crore 14 lakh 79 thousand 20 in assets allegedly disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The commission also found suspicious transactions through 39 bank accounts held in Ruhal Haque's name. Deposits into the accounts totalled Tk 64 crore 76 lakh 74 thousand 879, while withdrawals amounted to Tk 51 crore 44 lakh 13 thousand 780. The ACC calculated transactions involving Tk 116 crore 20 lakh 88 thousand 659 as suspicious. The accounts currently hold a combined balance of Tk 13 crore 32 lakh 61 thousand 99.

According to the investigation, no information establishing legitimate sources for the funds involved in the transactions was found. The ACC alleged that the origin of the money was sought to be concealed by creating layers of transactions through repeated deposits and withdrawals across different bank accounts.