One minister hid ownership of 6 foreign companies worth Tk2,312cr in affidavit: TIB
The identity of the minister was not made public in the TIB report
A minister, who is running in the upcoming national elections, has concealed his ownership of multiple foreign companies worth thousands of crores of taka in the affidavit submitted to the Election Commission, said Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).
"According to reliable information obtained by TIB, there is evidence of at least one member of the government's cabinet having multiple companies abroad in his name, which is not reflected in the affidavit," the watchdog said yesterday in a report after scrutinising data related to the candidates' wealth statements submitted to the Election Commission in their affidavits.
"Six companies owned by the minister and his wife are still actively conducting real estate business abroad. Those companies' total asset value is more than Tk2,312 crore [16.64 crore pounds]," the TIB report stated.
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The identity of the minister was not made public in the TIB report disclosed at the TIB office in the capital on Tuesday (26 December).
When reporters asked for the identity of the minister involved, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB, cited its policy of respecting confidentiality in the absence of public disclosure by the individual concerned.
Sharing such information without consent falls outside TIB's mandate. However, TIB is prepared to disclose the details, along with supporting evidence, upon authorised request from any relevant government agency, he said.
Regarding details of the companies, the TIB said the first company, established in 2010, is worth 1.73 crore pounds. The second company, established in 2016, is worth 7.31 crore pounds. The third company, established in 2019, is worth 2.79 crore pounds.
The fourth company, established in 2020, is worth 2.15 crore pounds. The fifth and the sixth companies, both established in 2021, are worth 3.22 crore pounds.
The six companies are worth 16.64 crore pounds, which amounts to Tk2,312cr.
Responding to questions in this regard, Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam told The Business Standard, "This matter is not under the jurisdiction of the Commission. The Commission is not an intelligence agency and cannot prosecute any criminal case."
"The commission seeks affidavits from candidates and publishes the documents on its website so that the public can have access to candidates' information, including financials," he said.
In this case, the commission has nothing to do. If anyone gets aggrieved because a candidate lied in affidavits, they can file a case against the candidate, Jahangir Alam added
