ACC approves charges against Bismillah Group owners

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) approved the charge sheet against three owners including the owner of Bismillah Group and the chairman and MD of M/S Sahrish Composite Towel Limited for not submitting a wealth statement to the commission.

The three are Khwaja Soleman Chowdhury, the owner of Bismillah Group and Managing Director (MD) of M/s Sahrish Composite Towel Limited, its chairman Naureen Haseeb, also the wife of Khwaja Soleman and the company’s director Safiqul Anwar Chowdhury, also the father of Khwaja Soleman.

The anti-graft body approved the charge sheet from the commission’s headquarters in the capital’s Segunbagicha, said ACC spokesperson M Arif Sadiq.

Following the approval, ACC assistant Director Md Ismail Hossain will submit the charge sheet before the court soon, he said.

According to the ACC, while investigating the allegations of amassing illegal wealth against three owners including the owner of Bismillah Group and Chairman and MD of M/s Sahrish Composite Towal Limited, the ACC sought their wealth statements.

The case was filed against the accused under section 26 (2) of the ACC Act 2004 on March 3 this year as they did not submit the statement of wealth to the ACC on time.

ACC officials said Bismillah Group, a towel manufacturing company, embezzled around Tk 1,200 crore from different banks through forgery.

On November 3, 2013, ACC filed 12 cases against a total of 53 people, including Bismillah Group MD, 13 officers, with Motijheel and Ramna Model Police Stations.

Later in 2015, the ACC submitted charge sheets against a number of people including Bismillah Group MD Khaja Soleman Chowdhury and his wife Naureen Habib in the cases. The cases are now pending with the courts.