Former VAT commissioner Waheeda sued for graft

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has sued Waheeda Rahman Choudhury – a former commissioner of large taxpayers' unit (LTU), VAT operating under the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

She faces charges of embezzling money by waiving Tk 152 crore interest payments for four telecom operators through misuse of power. ACC Assistant Director Md Shah Alam Sheikh filed the case at the commission’s integrated district office in Dhaka-1 on Tuesday.

Customs cadre Waheeda Rahman Choudhury previously went on retirement as the LTU, VAT commissioner, and she is now on Post Retirement Leave (PRL), ACC Secretary Khorsheda Yasmin has confirmed the matter to journalists.

When asked whether the telecom companies took this advantage by bribing the former commissioner, the ACC secretary said, “These issues will come out in the investigation.”

The accused Waheeda Rahman Choudhury waived unpaid interest of Tk 152 crore of four mobile phone operators, the case statement reads.

Of the amount, Grameenphone Ltd was exempted of paying Tk 58,64,88,697 in six files, Banglalink Digital Communication Ltd Tk 57,88,53,051 in seven files, Robi Axiata Tk 14,94,16,688, and Airtel Bangladesh Ltd Tk 20,53,30,952.

The case was filed against accused Waheeda Rahman Choudhury under section 218/409 of the Bangladesh Penal Code and section 5 (2) of Corruption Prevention Act of 1947 for causing financial losses to the state’s exchequer through misuse of power, and breach of the government’s trust by providing exemption of Tk 152,00,89,390 in 16 files through her sole decisions, thereby violating the country’s laws with dishonest intention.

A three-member probe committee led by NBR member Hossain Ahmed has also found the veracity of the allegation against Waheeda Rahman Choudhury, mentions a probe report filed by the committee.