Court orders seizure of tax records of ex-JU VC Farzana Islam, husband

A Dhaka court ordered the seizure of income tax records of former Jahangirnagar University Vice-Chancellor Farzana Islam and her husband Akhtar Hossain as part of an ongoing corruption investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Sabbir Faiz passed the order on Thursday (May 7) following a petition filed by ACC Assistant Director and investigation officer Khorshed Alam.

According to court sources, the anti-graft body is investigating allegations of large-scale corruption and recruitment trading involving Farzana Islam, allegedly carried out through her husband, son and third parties.

The ACC told the court that preliminary findings revealed information about the purchase of agricultural land, flats and plots using allegedly illegal income in their home district under the names of Farzana Islam, her husband Akhtar Hossain and their son Pratik Tasdik Hossain.

The petition also expressed concern over the possible concealment of illegally acquired assets and sought court permission to collect and, if necessary, seize certified copies of all relevant tax documents, including permanent and miscellaneous income tax records.

After hearing the petition, the court approved the request and ordered the seizure of the records.

Earlier, on February 8, the same court imposed a travel ban on Farzana Islam, her husband and son in connection with the investigation.