Online Desk: The number of accused including former minister Engr Khondker Mosharraf Hossain’s brother Khondker Mohtesham Hossain Babar has now stood at 47 in the supplementary chargesheet of a case filed over siphoning off Tk 2,000 crore from the country.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted the chargesheet to the Special Judge Court-9 of Dhaka on Thursday. Bench assistant of the court concerned Saiful Islam Mithu stated it to media on Sunday. The number of accused were 10 in the chargesheet submitted earlier. He said CID’s ASP Raihan Uddin Khan submitted the supplementary chargesheet against 47 accused on June 22 last. The court set July 5 for hearing on the chargesheet.

They were former minister Engr Khondker Mosharraf Hossain’s brother Khondker Mohtesham Hossain Babar, the two notorious brothers — Faridpur City Awami League’s expelled general secretary Sazzad Hossain Barkat and his brother Faridpur Press Club’s suspended president Imtiaz Hasan Rubel, Faridpur City Awami League president Nazmul Islam Khondker Lebi (is the son of the late Khandakar Aminur Rahman alias Majnu, an associate of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He owns a number of houses in Faridpur town, vast amounts of land and three houses in Dhaka, according to intelligence reports), Faridpur City Jubo League’s former general secretary Asibur Rahman Farhan, AHM Fuad, Fahad Bin Wazed alias Fahim, Quamrul Hasan David, Muhammad Ali Minar and Tariqul Islam alias Nasim.

A former chairman of Faridpur Sadar upazila, Babar was arrested on March 7 from the Basundhara residential area in the capital as one of the accused in the money laundering case. In the supplementary chargesheet, the names of previous 10 accused have been included, while the names of 37 more accused have been added.

On March 3 last, investigation officer (IO) of the case CID’s assistant police commissioner (ASP) Uttam Kumar Saha submitted the chargesheet against the 10 accused. District Awami League leaders blame Faridpur-3 constituency’s member of parliament Khondker Mosharraf Hossain for creating the reign of crime and corruption.

There are allegations that the 63-year-old Khandakar Mohtesham Babar was not involved in Awami League politics. It was after Khandker Mosharraf Hossain became minister that he began to control Faridpur. CID filed the case with Dhaka’s Kafrul Police Station on June 26, 2020 accusing Barkat and his brother Rubel for laundering Tk 2,000 crore from the country earning through illegal means.

In the case, it was stated that Barkat and Rubel became the owner huge amount of illegal property controlling the tender business of LGED, BRTA, Roads and Highways Division, different government departments in Faridpur city from 2010 to 2020. Besides, they accumulated huge amount of illegal wealth by indulging in drug dealings, grabbing and selling lands. They became the owners of 23 AC and non-AC buses, drum trucks, boulders, Pajero jeeps etc. A large portion of the money was siphoned off from the country through hundi.

In March last year, CID pressed charges against Babar, the two brothers and seven others for siphoning off the money abroad.