A Dhaka court has accepted charges against former Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP) M Shamsuddoha Khandaker and his wife, Ferdowsi Sultana Khandaker, in two corruption cases involving the illegal accumulation of wealth amounting to Tk 30.35 crore and the concealment of assets worth Tk 36.91 crore.
According to the Anti-Corruption Commission's (ACC) investigation, the couple allegedly laundered Tk 62.34 crore.
Judge Mohammad Ash-Shams Joglul Hossain of the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court issued the order on Sunday after reviewing the case files and related documents. The court has scheduled a hearing on October 30 to decide on the framing of charges against the couple.
ACC Assistant Director Khorshed Alam, who is also the investigation officer in the cases, submitted two charge sheets on July 2. The first charge sheet alleges that Shamsuddoha illegally amassed Tk 2.87 crore and concealed wealth worth Tk 8.44 crore. The second charge sheet claims that Ferdowsi accumulated Tk 27.48 crore beyond her known sources of income and concealed assets worth Tk 28.47 crore. The investigation further alleges that Shamsuddoha aided his wife in acquiring the illegal wealth.
Shamsuddoha, who began his career as an assistant superintendent of police on August 28, 1986, was promoted to additional IGP in 2011. He also served as the chairman of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) from September 1, 2011, to February 28, 2015, according to the investigation report.
