Court accepts chargesheet of Anisul's Tk 172cr illicit wealth

A Dhaka court on Sunday accepted a chargesheet against former law minister Anisul Haque and three others in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over the alleged acquisition of Tk 172.24 crore in assets beyond known sources of income.

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Shahjahan Kabir passed the order on October 25, 2026, making the case ready for trial.

ACC Public Prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam said Anisul, who is in jail, was produced before the court. The court also issued arrest warrants against the three other accused, Jebunnesa Begum Haque, Anisul’s sister-in-law; nephew Sheikh Md Iftekharul Islam; and Mohammad Iqbal, who is described as his cousin, as they were absconding.

ACC Deputy Director Md Jahangir Alam submitted the charge sheet on September 24.

According to the ACC investigation, Anisul allegedly acquired assets worth Tk 180.85 crore in his own name and through others, against a legitimate income of Tk 8.61 crore after deducting family expenses. The alleged discrepancy amounts to Tk 172.24 crore.

The investigation also uncovered alleged suspicious transactions totalling Tk 737.24 crore in 23 bank accounts belonging to Anisul and individuals and entities associated with him.

The ACC identified assets worth Tk 96.80 crore in Anisul’s name and another Tk 84.05 crore in the names of three associates. These included assets worth Tk 23.32 crore in Jebunnesa’s name, Tk 20.71 crore in Iftekharul’s name and Tk 40.01 crore in Iqbal’s name.

The charge sheet alleges that Jebunnesa held shares worth Tk 10 crore and fixed deposits worth Tk 13 crore at Citizens Bank. Iftekharul allegedly held shares worth more than Tk 20 crore in the bank, while Iqbal held shares worth over Tk 40 crore.

The ACC further reported deposits of Tk 375.51 crore and withdrawals of Tk 361.73 crore across the 23 bank accounts, identifying the transactions as suspicious.

The case was filed on January 1, 2025, under provisions of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, the Penal Code, the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, and the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012.