Former Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and his wife Afrin Taposh. File Photo

DHAKA, Jan 28, 2025 (BSS) - Like her husband former Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, his wife Afrin Taposh has also amassed mysteriously hundreds of crores taka within a few years of the erstwhile Awami League government led-by deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The investigation of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has revealed that both Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and his wife Afrin Taposh have adopted illegal methods to whiten the earned black money.

In their income tax documents, they have presented the same pond twice by showing separate income from fish farming. Separate business in on paper but separate in income tax documents were submitted to the ACC.

Out of this, the income of both of them was about Taka 103 crore from fish farming in the pond alone, it is revealed.

Both the husband and wife have shown the same pond in Gopalganj as fish farming separately in their income tax documents in the same fiscal year. Finally, Afrin Taposh was also caught in the ACC net along with her husband.

Taposh's wife Afrin had reportedly immovable and movable assets worth about Tk 56 lakh in the 2011-2012 fiscal year, but this had become more than Tk 105 crore in the few years of Awami League regime, the ACC's investigation found.

Afrin, with the help of her husband Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, owned assets inconsistent with the known source of income and made unusual transactions worth about Tk 78 crore and about four lakh US dollars in nine bank accounts, the ACC stated.

ACC sources said Sheikh Fazle Nur Tapash took a lease of 47.57 acres of land for 11 ponds in Tungipara Mouza of Gopalganj district from Sheikh Fazlur Rahman Maruf on July 1, 2011 for 3 years until June 2014 for fish farming. But after one year, he leased three of the 11 ponds to his wife Afrin Taposh for 2 years.

However, during the on-site inspection, the ACC found that apart from the three ponds, no other ponds existed on the above mentioned land. The remaining land is included in the housing plot and garden category. Besides, there are garden with various plants.

The ACC investigation team said Taposh and his wife Afrin never cultivated any fish in three ponds and the harsh reality is that it is not possible to cultivate fish there.

In the income tax documents, Sheikh Fazle Nur Taposh's income from the fisheries sector is Taka 95 crore 24 lakh 44 thousand 31 while his wife Afrin Taposh's income is Taka 7 crore 56 lakh one thousand 309.

That is, the earnings from the husband-wife's fish farming in three ponds in three years as a separate business are Taka 102 crore 80 lakh 45 thousand 340.

“This income is in no way acceptable,” the ACC stated.

Afrin Taposh abused the state power and has shown an income of Taka 7 crore 56 lakh 1 thousand 309 from fish farming in the three ponds in two years to legitimize the illegal income.

Apart from the fish farming, Taposh's wife's income is found to be Taka 28 crore 50 lakh 8 thousand and 24, the ACC said.

Afrin made a total of Taka 70 crore, 89 lakh, 93 thousand and 669 transactions in these nine bank accounts. Of those, Taka 39 crore, 82 lakh, 67 thousand and 682 was deposited and Taka 31 crore, 7 lakh, 25 thousand and 987 was withdrawn. Currently, his bank account has a balance of Taka 8 crore 75 lakh 41 thousand and 693.

Besides, in the RFCD account number 110315600000007 of Madhumoti Bank PLC at Motijheel branch, from August 9, 2018 to March 11, 2024, she deposited 202,259 US dollars and withdrew 193,704 US dollars with a total current balance of 8,555 US dollars.

The mentioned transactions are not consistent with his known income, the ACC claimed.

Although Afrin Taposh described herself as a businessman, she did not mention her business identity. However, she has shown a capital investment of Tk 3 crore, 15 lakh, 21 thousand and 54 in the business.

Meanwhile, she got 500 totals of gold as a gift. There is a car worth Tk 1 crore 62 lakh 85 thousand 513 (Dhaka Metro-13-7474) in her name.

The ACC official said despite doing fish-farming for two years, Afrin Taposh was a full-time farmer since 2017-18 fiscal year with showing yearly income of Taka 22 thousand from farming activities.
 
In 2017-2018 fiscal year, she received Taka 5 crore 84 lakh 59 thousand and 677 as a gift from her husband Sheikh Taposh. Meanwhile, after the death of Afrin's mother, she received Tk 1 lakh 30 thousand and 767 as a share of the money deposited by her mother in the bank.

Investigation also revealed that Afrin Taposh is the owner of two flats at Dhanmondi-7 in the capital. Despite the price of these two flats were shown as Taka 1 crore 66 lakh 11 thousand and 431, its current market value is estimated to be Taka 6 crore.

Besides, Afrin owns 82 percent of the agricultural land in Chandana Mouza of Joydebpur in Gazipur district. The actual value of it may be more than Tk 15 crore, the ACC believed.

On the other hand, value of Afrin’s Purbachal New Town Project is Taka 5 crore 40 lakh 40 thousand 240.

The investigator said it is seen that apart from business income, fishery, bank interest, cash in the bank, the value of these assets is about taka 13.5 crore according to Afrin’s income tax documents.

ACC sources said out of Afrin Taposh's total income is about Taka 34 crore 90 lakh 97 thousand and 339. There are immovable assets worth about Taka 13 crore 26 lakh 67 thousand 779. There are movable assets worth Taka 14 crore 12 lakh 96 thousand 635. There are family expenses of Taka 7 crore 51 lakh 32 thousand and 925.

The ACC found that Afrin Taposh had committed a punishable offense under Section 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004 by illegally acquiring and possessing assets worth Taka 64 million 40 lakh 89 thousand 98.

Deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is an accused in the anti-fascist movement. Afrin Taposh is also an accused in several cases along with her husband Sheikh Taposh.