The Anti Corruption Commission on Tuesday quizzed Soumendra Lal Chandra Shoilen, former assistant personal secretary of ex-state minister for religious affairs Advocate M Shahjahan Miah on charge of accumulation of illegal wealth and laundering money to India, says an ACC official.
ACC deputy director Ahsan Ali has questioned Shoilen from 10:00am to 12:30pm at the commission’s headquarters at Segun Bagicha.The commission on Tuesday received statements from Shoilen on his alleged involvement with irregularity. Earlier, the commission collected several documents including the income tax statement and other related documents from him.
According to the allegation received by the ACC, Shoilen has accumulated illegal wealth valued Tk 50crore through giving licenses to over 400 Hajj and Umrah agents in exchange of bribe.
While Shoilen worked as the APS of the minister, the ministry has approved at least 400 licenses to many companies where a bribe transaction was held and Shoilen worked as the key player in the irregularity.
Sources said there were only 324 Hajj and Umrah agents in the country when the Awami League government took power in 2008. But the government approved 78 licenses for Hajj agents and 77 for Umrah agents in 2010. Most of them were allegedly given to leaders of Awami League and Awami Ulema League and ruling party backed businessmen.
Later in April 2011, the government published circulars in newspapers asking Hajj and Umrah agents to apply. In response to the circular, a total of 1006 applications were submitted for license as Hajj agent while 137 were as Umrah agent license.
Among the list, the ministry allegedly gave licenses to over 400 companies in exchange of Tk 50 crore bribe.
Shoilen, who also holds the post of office secretary at Patuakhali Zilla Awami League has make huge money with the businesses and has built a five storied building at Patuakhali district, while his wife owns several flats at the capital, the allegation reads.
It is also alleged that the former APS to the state minister has laundered a huge amount of money through his mother and siblings to India. Staff Reporter
