Chattogram: The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) today filed a case against an industrialist and a former sub-registrar for allegedly selling and mortgaging 5.20 acres of government-leased land in Chattogram through fraudulent means.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the case was filed by Assistant Director of ACC Chattogram Integrated District Office-1, Nurul Islam, against Md Harun Or Rashid, managing director of B K Tex Limited, and Md Abu Talib Khan, former sub-registrar of Chattogram Sadar Circle Land Office. The charges are based on sections 409, 420, and 109 of the Bangladesh Penal Code, along with clause 5(2) of the Anti-Corruption Prevention Act, 1947.
The land in question, located in the city’s Nasirabad Industrial Area, includes plots numbered 233, 233A, 234, and 234B, covering a total of 5.20 acres. ACC sources revealed that the land was initially leased for 99 years in 1957 to the now-defunct Bangladesh Oxygen Ltd for the establishment of an industrial gas production plant. The lease included strict conditions prohibiting the sale or mortgaging of the land.
With approval from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Bangladesh Oxygen Ltd later transferred the land to B K Tex Ltd, a private limited company, for commercial use, while keeping the restriction on sale intact. However, it is alleged that the company breached the lease terms by selling the land to a third party for Tk 12.51 crore through registered deeds. Additionally, the company reportedly mortgaged the land to the Khatunganj branch of Bank Asia Ltd in 2010 as additional collateral for an existing loan facility.