Masud Biswas, the former chief of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), has been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
He was arrested on Saturday following an operation assisted by the police’s Detective Branch, sources within the ACC confirmed.
On January 2, the ACC filed a case against Masud Biswas for accumulating assets beyond his known sources of income. After his arrest, he will be presented in court by a team led by Gulshan Anwar Pradhan, the ACC’s Deputy Director.
According to the case statement, Masud Biswas illegally acquired assets worth Tk 1.87 crore under his own name, which he kept for personal use, thus committing a punishable offense. For this, a case has been filed against him under Section 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, and Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
Following allegations of irregularities and money laundering, the ACC announced an investigation into Masud Biswas on September 25 of last year. A four-member committee was formed, led by Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan, to investigate the allegations.
The allegations against the former BFIU head include that he amassed significant wealth through the abuse of power and corruption. He is accused of involvement in irregularities related to the purchase of aircraft by Sky Capital Airlines, withholding reports of financial irregularities involving Tamal Parvez, Chairman of NRB Commercial Bank, and allowing the submission of a ‘general observation report’ instead of a ‘detailed intelligence report’ regarding the looting of nearly Tk 5,000 crore. Masud Biswas also faces multiple charges related to money laundering.