Court issues travel ban against former NBR official Matiur Rahman, first wife, son

A Dhaka court has issued a travel ban against former NBR official Matiur Rahman, his first wife Layla Kaniz, who is the chairman of Narsingdi's Raipura upazila, and their son Ahmed Toufikur Rahman Arnab. 

Senior Special Judge Mohammad Asams Joglul Hossain of Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Court passed the order today (24 June) following a petition filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). 

ACC Lawyer Mir Ahmed Ali Salam attended the hearing on behalf of the anti-graft commission, said Tapas Kumar Pal, the additional public prosecutor of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court.

Earlier yesterday (23 June), National Board of Revenue (NBR) Customs, Excise and VAT Appellate Tribunal President Matiur Rahman, also a member of the board, was removed from his post.

He was attached to the Internal Resources Division (IRD) of the Finance Ministry, according to a ministry notification. It said the decision will be effective immediately.

Matiur was given no specific designation in his new role, effectively making him an Officer on Special Duty (OSD).

This marks the first time in history that an NBR tribunal president has been removed from their position.

He will also be removed from the state-owned Sonali Bank PLC's director post, Ziaul Hasan Siddiqui, chairperson of Sonali Bank, told reporters after a board meeting yesterday.

On 4 June, the Anti-Corruption Commission started an inquiry against Rahman over allegations of amassing illegal wealth and money laundering. 

The allegations against him surfaced after a video went viral showing Mushfiqur Rahman Ifat, Matiur's son from his second wife, purchasing a goat for Tk15 lakh before Eid-ul-Adha.

This recent scandal has brought significant attention to the lavish lifestyles of both families of Matiur Rahman, who has children from two marriages, and raised questions about his suitability for the directorship at Sonali Bank.

Properties owned by Matiur's first wife

Matiur Rahman's first wife, Layla Kaniz Lucky, is the upazila parishad chairman of Narsingdi's Raipura and a retired associate professor of Government Titumir College.

The former Bangla literature teacher was elected unopposed as the chairman of Raipura Upazila Parishad in February last year.

In her affidavit submitted to the Election Commission, Layla Kaniz disclosed owning 25.7 bighas of land spread across Dhaka, Gazipur, Narsingdi, Jashore, and Natore. 

She also mentioned possessing four flats valued at Tk1.61 crore in the same building on Mazar Road in the capital's Mirpur.

However, according to the builder company, each floor of the building contains four apartments, each spanning 1,500 to 1,600 square feet, with prices ranging from 5,500 to 8,000 taka per square foot. 

Even at the minimum rate, the value of these four flats totals at least Tk3.30 crore, reports Prothom Alo.

Additionally, the affidavit mentioned another flat valued at Tk55 lakh without specifying its address alongside her ownership of a fish farm.

Layla Kaniz identified her profession as a businesswoman in the affidavit. 

However, the document only listed her father's name without mentioning her husband's name and asset details, as required by regulations.

Among her property holdings, Layla Kaniz disclosed the acquisition cost of 13 non-agricultural lands totalling Tk4.24 crore across five districts. 

Details on the pricing of the remaining nine non-agricultural and agricultural lands were not provided in the affidavit.

Apart from the affidavit, records from the land office indicate an additional two bighas of land registered under Layla Kaniz's name across four locations in Morjal Mauza of Narsingdi's Raipura upazila.

In her income tax return for the 2023-24 fiscal year, Layla reported a total wealth of Tk10.03 crore, which includes Tk3.56 crore in cash and bank deposits, as well as a capital market profit of Tk1.69 crore from share sales.