United News of Bangladesh

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Tuesday (January 20, 2026) arrested Syed Sohanur Rahman Siam, son of former Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) driver Syed Abed Ali Jibon, on charges of amassing illegal assets worth around Tk 3.25 crore. ACC Public Relations Officer Md Akterul Islam confirmed the arrest. Earlier, on January 5, 2025, the ACC filed three separate cases against Syed Abed Ali Jibon, his wife Shahrin Akhter Shilpi, and their son Syed Sohanur Rahman Siam, accusing them of acquiring illegal assets worth Tk 5.37 crore and engaging in suspicious financial transactions amounting to nearly Tk 45 crore. Siam was shown arrested in connection with that case on Tuesday. Read More: ACC in no position to investigate info on candidates' affidavits According to the case statements, Abed Ali Jibon allegedly conducted suspicious transactions totaling Tk 41.29 crore through 12 bank accounts, depositing Tk 20.88 crore and withdrawing Tk 20.41 crore. Investigators also found evidence that he acquired assets worth Tk 3.70 crore beyond known sources of income. His wife, Shahrin Akhter Shilpi, has been accused of possessing illegal assets worth Tk 1.26 crore. She allegedly carried out suspicious transactions totaling Tk 3.56 crore through two bank accounts. Meanwhile, their son and former Chhatra League leader Syed Sohanur Rahman Siam has been accused of acquiring assets worth Tk 3. 3 crore from undisclosed sources. The ACC brought charges under Section 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, and Sections 4(2) and 4(3) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012, for concealing, converting, transferring, and handing over illegally obtained money and assets derived from corruption and bribery. Read More: ACC files two cases against former CMP CT unit officer, wife and sisters over Tk61.19cr illicit wealth In July 2024, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police arrested 17 people, including former PSC chairman’s driver Abed Ali, in connection with the leakage of PSC question papers. Following the incident, the ACC launched an investigation into his assets. Sources said Abed Ali had previously been dismissed from service in 2014 after allegations of question paper leakage were proven. He was found directly involved in an incident during a written examination for the post of Assistant Maintenance Engineer under the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, where a candidate was caught red-handed with illegal answers to examination questions. Once working as a porter, Abed Ali later learned to drive and joined the PSC. Over time, he allegedly amassed huge wealth through involvement in question paper leakage syndicates and emerged as an industrialist in his locality. Earlier, Abed Ali and his son Sohanur Rahman were also arrested for alleged involvement in a question paper leakage ring linked to recruitment examinations for the post of Sub-Assistant Engineer of Bangladesh Railway. Read more: Hasnat slams Public Admin Ministry; NCP submits 15-point proposal to PSC

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) found evidence that former State Minister for Rural Development and Cooperatives and Jatiya Party Presidium Member and former Secretary General Moshiur Rahman Rangha received bribes worth Tk 1.7 crore in exchange for facilitating the payers' participation in the 11th Jatiya Sangsad election, held in 2018. Based on the findings, the ACC has decided to file a case against Ranga and former Kurigram-2 MP Panir Uddin Ahmed, who allegedly paid the bribe to secure the opportunity to contest the election. The decision to file the case was taken on Monday (January 19) at the ACC headquarters, ACC Director General Md Akhtar Hossain said. Read More: JP distributes nomination forms for 6 constituencies in Dinajpur According to the inquiry report, despite having no business relationship, Ranga allegedly accepted the amount as a bribe from Panir Uddin Ahmed by creating an opportunity for him to take part in the 12th parliamentary election. The investigation further revealed that Panir Uddin Ahmed is the proprietor of Jalil Biri Factory and Haque Special (transport business). On October 30, 2018, Tk 20 lakh was transferred from Panir Uddin Ahmed’s account under the name of Haque Special at Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited’s Kurigram branch to Ranga’s account at the bank’s Rangpur branch. In addition, in November 2018, Panir Uddin Ahmed deposited Tk 1.5 crore  in four instalments from Sonali Bank Limited’s Kurigram branch into Ranga’s account at Sonali Bank’s Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban branch. Read More: JP workers' gathering foiled by police action in Kakrail In this way, a total of Tk 17 million (1.7 crore)was allegedly given as bribe. The accused reportedly attempted to conceal the money through transfer, handover, conversion and transactions. The acts constitute punishable offences under Sections 161, 165 and 109 of the Penal Code, Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, and Sections 4(2) and 4(3) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012, the ACC said. The commission has therefore decided to lodge a case against the accused.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has begun closely examining the election affidavits of all candidates participating in the 13th national parliamentary election, ACC Chairman Dr Mohammad Abdul Momen said on Monday (January 05, 2026). “The asset declarations submitted by the candidates would be thoroughly scrutinised to identify any inconsistencies or suspicious information,” he said while addressing a views-exchange meeting with the newly elected committee of Reporters Against Corruption (RAC) at the ACC headquarters in the capital as the chief guest. Dr Momen said the commission would independently scrutinise candidates’ affidavits, request the Election Commission to flag any suspicious assets, and, if necessary, prioritise this task over other activities. He also urged journalists to play an active role by analysing and verifying affidavit information and bringing credible findings to public attention. No election campaign before symbol allocation: EC to parities Responding to a question about the newly-enacted law, Dr Momen reiterated the ACC’s zero-tolerance stance against corruption. “Our position is very clear—there will be no compromise with corruption. If any provision in the new law suggests compromise, we will maintain our previous stance and, if necessary, discuss the matter with the government,” he said. Speaking at the meeting, ACC Commissioner (Investigation) Mia Muhammad Ali Akbar Azizi said the commission would assist judges by presenting strong and credible evidence to prove corruption cases. Under the law, he said, the ACC has the authority to take into cognisance verified information published in newspapers and urged journalists to ensure their reports are fact-based and properly verified rather than based on hearsay. ACC Commissioner (Investigation) Brigadier General (retd) Hafiz Ahsan Farid said the ACC and RAC are closely intertwined in the fight against corruption. “If RAC closes its eyes for a day, the ACC will become blind for a week,” he said, adding that RAC’s credibility is not only its own honour but also the honour of the ACC. Election disruption attempts to be met with iron hand: Home Adviser The meeting began with a welcome address by ACC Secretary Mohammad Khaled Rahim. RAC President Shafi Uddin Ahmed and General Secretary Tabarul Haque spoke on behalf of the organisation, pledging to work as partners of the ACC in anti-corruption efforts. Former RAC President Alauddin Arif also addressed the meeting. The event, moderated by ACC Director General (Prevention) Md Akhtar Hossain, was attended, among others, by senior ACC officials, members of the newly elected RAC executive committee and other RAC members.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has been identified as the most corruption-prone public service office in the country, according to the Citizen Perception Survey (CPS) 2025, released by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). The survey found that 63.29 percent of citizens who sought services from BRTA experienced corruption. BRTA was followed by law enforcement agencies (57.96 percent) and passport offices (57.45 percent) on the corruption list. The report was unveiled on Wednesday at the BBS auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka. According to the survey, 31.67 percent of respondents admitted to having paid bribes directly while receiving government services in the past 12 months. Read more: BRTA chairman wants to see accident-free roads The rate of bribery was significantly higher among men (38.62 percent) compared to women (22.71 percent). An overwhelming 98.48 percent of respondents reported paying bribes in cash. BBS conducted the nationwide CPS between February 6 and 23, 2025, covering 64 districts. Data were collected through interviews with 84,807 respondents aged 18 and above (39,894 men and 44,913 women) from 45,888 households across 1,920 Primary Sampling Units (PSUs). The findings show that 63.29 percent of respondents who interacted with BRTA officials admitted to paying bribes to receive services, making it the most corruption-prone government office among those surveyed, while the least bribery was recorded in government and autonomous banks and insurance offices (2.98 percent), public educational institutions (2.94 percent), and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) itself, which stood at 1.99 percent. Law enforcement agencies ranked second, where 61.94 percent of service recipients said they had to pay bribes. This was followed by the passport office at 57.45 percent and the land registry (cadastre) office at 54.92 percent, highlighting persistent corruption in citizen-facing and documentation-related services. Read more: Road crashes claim 380 lives in July: BRTA More than half of the respondents also reported bribery in interactions with judges, magistrates, prosecutors and other legal officials (53.77 percent), and the land record, acquisition and settlement offices (51.40 percent). At the mid-range, bribery was reported by 44.68 percent of respondents dealing with accounts offices, while customs, excise, and VAT offices recorded 35.37 percent. Local government offices at the union parishad, pourashava, and upazila levels stood at 32.91 percent, followed by district and upazila election offices at 26.04 percent. Lower levels of bribery were reported in social security and welfare offices (19.20 percent) and public utility services such as electricity, water and gas (18.41 percent). Interactions with elected local government representatives (14.94 percent) and income tax or revenue offices (14.08 percent) showed relatively lower but still notable corruption. Bribery incidence was lowest in the district and upazila administration (11.33 percent), agricultural offices (9.07 percent), and among public healthcare providers, including doctors and nurses (8.05 percent). Only 7.91 percent reported bribery involving elected Members of Parliament. The data underscore deep-rooted governance challenges, particularly in transport, law enforcement and land-related services, where citizens’ dependence on officials continues to fuel informal payments despite ongoing reform efforts. The survey assessed progress on six indicators of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16, based on citizens’ perceptions and experiences related to security, good governance, quality of public services, corruption, access to justice, and discrimination. Read more: CNG drivers block road outside BRTA prompting Mohakhali-Uttara tailback Nationally, the average household size was four members, with 81.97 percent male-headed households and 18.03 percent female-headed households. On security, 84.81 percent of citizens reported feeling safe walking alone in their neighbourhoods after sunset while the sense of safety was lower among women (80.67 percent) compared to men (89.53 percent). The feeling of safety inside one’s home after dark was higher at 92.54 percent. In terms of governance, only 27.24 percent of citizens believed they could influence government decisions, while this figure dropped to 21.99 percent regarding political decision-making. Nationally, about 24.62 percent of respondents felt that the country’s political system is inclusive and responsive, with little difference between rural (24.47 percent) and urban (24.91 percent) areas. Regarding public service delivery over the past year, 47.12 percent of respondents accessed government health services, while 40.93 percent reported that at least one of their children attended a government primary or secondary school. Besides, 73.77 percent sought other government services such as identity cards or civil registration. Satisfaction levels varied across services: 72.69 percent for healthcare, 81.56 percent for primary education, 78.18 percent for secondary education, and 66.91 percent for other government services. The survey also found that 16.16 percent of citizens experienced disputes or conflicts in the past two years. Among them, 83.60 percent had access to some form of dispute resolution, either formal (such as courts) or informal (such as community leaders). Of these, 41.34 percent used formal institutions, while 68.96 percent relied on informal mechanisms. On discrimination, 19.31 percent of respondents reported experiencing some form of discrimination. Read more: BRTA provides financial assistance to families of road crash victims in Joypurhat The main bases were socio-economic status (6.82 percent) and gender (4.47 percent). Incidents occurred most frequently within families (49.72 percent), in public transport or open spaces (34.82 percent), and at workplaces (24.85 percent). Only 5.37 percent of victims reported such incidents to the authorities.

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on Tuesday (December 09, 2025) said his party is ready to lead a fresh strong and comprehensive drive against corruption if voted to power as graft has become deeply rooted in Bangladesh and continues to disrupt the daily lives of millions of people. “Fighting corruption will be an uphill battle after years of systemic abuse. But Bangladesh’s own history proves progress is possible. With commitment, discipline, and public support, meaningful reform can return. If entrusted by the people, BNP is prepared to lead that charge, once again,” he said in a post on his verified Facebook page, marking International Anti-Corruption Day. Tarique said corruption now affects every part of life--from graduates seeking jobs on merit, to farmers waiting for services, young families struggling for healthcare and education, and entrepreneurs paying extra just to keep their businesses running. Read more: Tarique warns BNP of ‘something terrible’ if unity falters “From food prices to school quality to road safety, corruption cripple’s daily life for millions,” he wrote. The BNP leader mentioned that early governance reforms under President Ziaur Rahman prioritised administrative discipline, clean public service and economic liberalisation that reduced bottlenecks and discretionary power. Later, he said the administrations of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia modernised institutions through procurement rules, financial administration laws, strengthened audits, and clearer oversight mechanisms. Tarique pointed to the formation of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in 2004 as a “major milestone”, replacing the Bureau of Anti-Corruption and enabling independent investigation and prosecution in line with global standards “Development partners such as the World Bank and ADB recognised this as a significant step toward accountability.” Read more: Tarique slams Jamaat for ‘propaganda’ against BNP echoing Awami League “Despite reservations about Transparency International Bangladesh’s (TIB) methodology at the time, even they reported improved CPI performance: Bangladesh’s score rose from 1.2 in 2002 to 1.7 in 2005. Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer (2003) found that 66% of citizens felt corruption had decreased. These gains reflected reforms that strengthened clarity, reduced discretion, and expanded oversight,” he observed. Tarique said BNP takes pride in reforms made in those years, including stronger financial governance, improved treasury systems, tighter budgets, better audits, and early anti-money-laundering and banking regulations, competitive procurement rules, expansion of media and telecom sectors, and early digitisation and decentralisation efforts that reduced bureaucratic discretion. “The record speaks for itself: BNP is the only party so far to make sustained progress in reducing corruption,” he claimed. Outlining the party’s future agenda, he said BNP plans to ensure complete institutional independence for the judiciary, ACC, election bodies, public service and law enforcement, introduce open procurement and real-time audits, modernise policing, prosecution and case management, expand e-governance, protect whistleblowers, strengthen ethics and civic education, and closely monitor public spending through independent audits and stronger parliamentary oversight. Read more: ‘Religion card’ no longer fooling citizens, says Salahuddin

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep disappointment and indignation over the Advisory Council’s final approval of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Ordinance ‘ignoring strategically important recommendations.’ The recommendations were essential for ensuring transparency, accountability and institutional independence of the anti-graft body, it said in a statement on Friday (November 28). The exclusion of “Selection and Review Committee” from the final ordinance despite  being included in the July Charter is not only disappointing, but also indicates that like almost all other cases of reform proposals the state reform agenda has become hostage to the conspiracies of anti-reform circles within the government, it added. TIB also questions whether by denying the provision to make ACC accountable as much as independent, the Chief Adviser, as the head of the consensus commission and the groundbreaking decision-maker to form the 11 reform commissions, is trying to send a message to all including political parties, that ‘state reforms are just a rhetoric for the Government.’ Read more: ACC’s year of mixed outcomes: 249 cases closed, yet acquittals dominate Noting that the ACC Reform Commission had recommended the formation of a “Selection and Review Committee” considering the experience of the past two decades, the opinions of all stakeholders, international best practices, and the political and bureaucratic context of Bangladesh in order to ensure that the ACC does not continue to function as a tool of protection of  those in power and harass political or other opponents, TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said. “This proposal was made to overcome the dire situation of ACC as the institution has been suffering from a lack of public trust since its inception, as a puppet of vested quarters, it has become a tool of protection for those in power and harassment of opponents,” he said. It is regrettable that the government has failed to understand the strategic value of this recommendation to transform the ACC into a truly accountable, independent, and impartial institution through half-yearly reviews, public hearings, and recommendations by the proposed committee, he said. ACC’s year of mixed outcomes: 249 cases closed, yet acquittals dominate “For a government responsible for state reforms, this is a self-contradictory and anti-reform precedent,” he added. Dr. Zaman further said the matter is even more disappointing because according to reliable sources, at least seven Advisors have opposed this proposal at the Cabinet meeting. “Yet they know that all the political parties that signed the July Charter have fully agreed on this provision. Before creating such a bad precedent of violating the July Charter, why the government does not realise that through this the Government is by itself actually encouraging political parties to violate the July Charter? Why then unprecedented bloodletting sacrifices were made? What kind of state reform is it that blocks the way to effectively curb corruption?” he questioned. The draft of the ordinance that TIB had the opportunity to review seemed to be in some ways of a higher standard than the existing law for which the organization commends the government, it said. TIB calls for full disclosure of agreements with foreign cos on Laldia, Pangaon terminals However, the TIB Executive Director has expressed deep disappointment and regret as according to reliable sources, in addition to the mentioned issue several other important strategic recommendations on which political consensus was achieved have been omitted. “This can be nothing but a corruption-enabling  and anti-reform stance of vested interests and influential quarters within the government,” he added.

A Dhaka court on Thursday (November 27) sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 21 years in jail in three cases over irregularities in plot allocation by Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).  Judge Md Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka Special Judge Court-5 delivered the judgment in the packed-jam court in her absence. Hasina, who took shelter in India amid the mass protest on August 5 last year, got seven years in jail in each case, totaling 21 years of jail. Read more: ICT releases full verdict on Hasina, Kamal’s death penalty Her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed Putul were also awarded five years in jail each, with Joy facing a fine of Tk 1 lakh. Former RAJUK official Khurshid Alam, who was present at the dock during the verdict delivery, was sentenced to one year of jail. Besides, Housing and Public Works official Saiful Islam Sarkar was acquitted from the charges in the cases. The court in its observation said Sheikh Hasina betrayed the country by grabbing public property under her name without following legal procedures. On November 23, the court set November 27 to deliver judgment in the cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over graft. On July 31, the court framed charges against 47 people including Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul in the cases. Read more: ACC’s year of mixed outcomes: 249 cases closed, yet acquittals dominate The other accused in the cases are Hasina’s sister Sheikh Rehana, her daughters Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, Azmina Siddiq Ruponti, son Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby, Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works Shahid Ullah Khandaker, Additional Secretary Kazi Wasi Uddin, Administrative Officer Saiful Islam Sarker, Senior Assistant Secretary Purabi Goldar, former Rajuk Chairman Anisur Rahman Mia, former members Mohammad Khurshid Alam, Kabir Al Asad, Tanmoy Das, Nurul Islam, Mohammad Nasir Uddin, Shamsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, Director Sheikh Shahinul Islam, Deputy Directors Hafizur Rahman and Habibur Rahman, former State Minister Sharif Ahmed, and former Prime Minister’s Private Secretary Salauddin. Ninety-one witnesses testified in the cases. The ACC filed the six cases in January this year accusing them of illegally securing Rajuk plots misusing their positions. Chargesheets in all six cases were submitted to court. According to the case statement, Sheikh Hasina and her family members in collaboration with high-ranking officials of Rajuk allocated plots on political considerations through abuse of power and irregularities, On July 20, the six cases over Rajuk plot allocation were transferred to the two special courts—Dhaka Special Court-4 and Special Court-5. Read more: Recovered gold not only Hasina’s, includes family members too, says ACC

Over the past 11 months, Bangladesh’s anti-graft landscape has unfolded with a mix of progress, as the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has wrapped up 249 cases since December 2024, but with more than half ending up in acquittal. From December 2024 to October 2025, 512 cases were filed against corrupt people both at home and abroad, including money launderers, state fund embezzlers, loan defaulters and various government, private and political figures. During the same period, 249 pending cases were resolved, resulting in convictions in 126 cases and acquittal in 123. The ACC also reported recovering fines amounting to Tk 5,058 crore and confiscating assets worth Tk 321 crore. Read more: Recovered gold not only Hasina’s, includes family members too, says ACC According to 11 months of case and charge sheet statistics, the ACC received 11,630 complaints, but only 960 were accepted for inquiry. Meanwhile, 798 enforcement operations were conducted, of which 188 are under investigation, 28 have resulted in cases, and four people were caught red-handed through traps. Besides, 23 public hearings were held. During this period, the ACC says, a total of 512 cases were filed implicating 2,191 accused individuals. Charge sheets were submitted in 315 cases, naming 1,078 accused.  A total of 73 cases were exempted under FRT (final report). Following the fall of the Awami League government amid mass protests on August 5 last year, the ACC began investigating corruption by top politicians, businessmen and institutions. The commission found evidence of money laundering and corruption, prompting a series of cases and subsequent court orders to freeze and confiscate assets — a process that continues. In the aftermath of the mass uprising, the ACC claimed it had achieved record success in its crackdown on corrupt individuals, confiscating and freezing unprecedented amounts of movable and immovable assets. Between December 2024 and October 2025, the ACC seized and froze assets worth more than Tk 26,013 crore belonging to over 300 individuals and entities involved in corruption, embezzlement and money laundering. By comparison, the total value of confiscated and frozen assets in all of 2024 was only Tk 361 crore. In the five years from 2020 to 2024, the combined figure stood at roughly Tk 3,450 crore, highlighting the dramatic surge in asset seizures over the past 11 months. According to ACC’s asset management division and court sources, Tk 3,457 crore 83 lakh worth of assets were confiscated within the country during this period. Besides, domestic bank and financial accounts containing Tk 22,226 crore 79 lakh were frozen, along with Tk 328 crore 38 lakh frozen abroad. In total, around Tk 26,013 crore 2 lakh 93 thousand in assets were confiscated or frozen both domestically and internationally. Commenting on the overall development, ACC Commissioner Miah Muhammad Ali Akbar Azizi said, “I want to emphasise that the ACC is empowered with substantial legal authority. To expedite judicial proceedings, more special courts are required.” Read more: ACC approves chargesheet against former IGP Benazir Ahmed ACC has not yet become the fully empowered institution it needs to be, said its Chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen. Responding to a question on whether the ACC is a ‘toothless tiger’, he said, “The ACC has both teeth and claws — though they may need further sharpening. The teeth are not as sharp as they need to be. The claws have not fully grown yet. We are somewhere in the middle stage.” When asked whether the ACC faces political or external pressure, the chairman issued a strong warning, saying that anyone attempting to hinder corruption inquiries or investigations in the future will have their names publicly disclosed. He emphasised that combating corruption is not solely the responsibility of the ACC. Each government, autonomous, and private institution must strengthen their own audit mechanisms. “If institutions took action against corrupt officials based on their internal audit reports, many cases would not even need to come to the ACC,” he said. Sharing data on recent ACC activities, Momen noted that an analysis of the 11 months from December 2024 to October 2025 shows that politicians account for the lowest number of ACC cases. During this period, 151 cases were filed against politicians, while only 28 cases resulted in charge sheets. The chairman’s comments underline both the structural limitations of the ACC and the growing expectation for greater transparency, especially with the new warning to expose those who attempt to exert undue influence. Read more: ACC to reveal names if pressure exerted to obstruct probe: Chairman

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has decided  to launch an investigation into the irregularities in the recruitment and tender process for outsourcing employees at Rampal thermal power plant in Bagerhat. ACC Deputy Director Akhtarul Islam disclosed this at a regular briefing held at its head office on Monday although the decision was actually taken on August 25.  Tk 2,288 crore embezzled in the name of sending workers to Malaysia: ACC to sue 31 more individuals He also said the commission will also investigate the alleged embezzlement of money through the illegal sale of the plant's assets.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday imposed a ban on Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader and his wife Sherifa Quader from traveling abroad amid an ongoing probe into allegations of corruption and money laundering. ACC Director Aktarul Islam said letters were sent to the authorities concerned to enforce the restriction. On March 25, the commission decided to open an inquiry into allegations amassing illegal wealth against Quader in the nomination process for reserved women’s parliamentary seats. According to the ACC, around Tk 18.10 crore was taken in bribes after the 2018 national election in exchange for Jatiya Party nominations for women’s reserved seats. The commission claims that the primary beneficiary was then acting chairman GM Quader. Karnaphuli Tunnel graft: ACC sues Obaidul Quader, Bridge Authority officials As the full payment was not made, Prof. Masuda M Rashid Chowdhury was suspended from her party position and Sherifa Quader was appointed as a lawmaker in her place, it said. The anti-graft body also said that the size of the Jatiya Party’s central committee increased from 301 members to nearly 650, which it described as evidence of “position trading.” ACC Director General Akhtar Hossain said GM Quader laundered money under different names to Singapore, London, and Sydney.