Ex-NBR official Matiur Rahman and Wife Laila arrested

Former National Board of Revenue (NBR) member, Matiur Rahman, and his first wife, Laila Kaniz, have been arrested under charges of acquiring illegal wealth and corruption.

A team from the Detective Branch (DB) of the police arrested the couple late Tuesday night (January 14) from the Bashundhara area of Dhaka.

Though it‍‍`s unclear which specific case led to their arrest, there are multiple ongoing cases against them.

Most recently, on January 6, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed three cases against Matiur, his wife, and their children, accusing them of acquiring illegal wealth worth Tk 124 crore and hiding asset details.

In the first case, Matiur Rahman and his first wife, Laila Kaniz, are charged with illegally acquiring Tk 13 crore 1 lakh 58 thousand worth of assets.

Additionally, Laila is accused of hiding Tk 1 crore 53 lakh in illegal wealth.

In the second case, their daughter, Farzana Rahman, is accused of concealing Tk 2 crore 45 lakh and acquiring illegal assets worth Tk 53 crore 41 lakh.

Matiur Rahman has been named an accomplice in this case as well.

The third case involves their son from Matiur’s first marriage, Ahmed Toufiqur Rahman Arnob, who is accused of hiding assets worth Tk 13 crore 38 lakh and amassing Tk 42 crore 22 lakh in illegal wealth. Again, Matiur is listed as an accomplice.

Prior to this, on December 15, two separate cases were filed against Matiur Rahman and his second wife, Shammi Akhter Shibli. 

These cases allege that they acquired Tk 11 crore 18 lakh 86 thousand 120 in illegal wealth and concealed portions of it.

Matiur is accused of amassing Tk 5 crore 28 lakh 75 thousand 939 in illegal wealth and hiding assets worth Tk 1 crore 27 lakh 66 thousand 216.

His second wife, Shibli, is charged with acquiring Tk 1 crore 87 lakh 15 thousand 490 in illegal wealth and hiding Tk 2 crore 75 lakh 28 thousand 475 worth of assets. 

The charges have been brought under sections 27(1) and 26(2) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004.

Public interest in the family spiked when Mushfiqur Rahman Ifat, a young man, purchased a goat for Tk 15 lakh ahead of Qurbani, sparking widespread debate on social media. 

Many pointed out that his father was Matiur Rahman, who held a significant position as the president of the Customs, Excise, and VAT Appellate Tribunal.

The controversy triggered more scrutiny, leading to revelations about the family‍‍`s substantial wealth and properties. 

As the story gained traction, information surfaced about the massive assets owned by the family, which included land, flats, resorts, and industrial establishments.

On June 4 last year, the ACC launched a formal investigation into Matiur Rahman and his family’s unexplained wealth. 

The probe uncovered 65 bighas of land, eight flats, two resorts, a picnic spot, and three industrial businesses in their names. 

Their bank accounts, mobile financial services, and stock market BO accounts were also frozen by the ACC.

In response to these findings, a court banned Matiur, his first wife, and their children from leaving the country on June 24.

On July 2, the ACC issued a notice to Matiur and his family, demanding a detailed statement of their assets. 

The family eventually submitted their asset report to the ACC on August 29, which covered both his wives and children.