Ex-MP, Army Officer Masud Uddin Choudhury shown arrested in corruption case

Former Member of the Parliament and military officer Masud Uddin Choudhury, already in custody in multiple cases linked to the anti-discrimination movement-related killings, has been shown arrested in a corruption case.

The case, filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), involves allegations of embezzling Tk 11.9 billion through irregularities in sending workers to Malaysia.

On Monday (May 18), Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md. Sabbir Faiz granted the ACC’s petition to formally show him arrested in the case.

According to court documents, ACC Assistant Director Md. Abul Kalam Azad, the investigation officer, had submitted the application on March 25 seeking to show the accused arrested in this case.

ACC Prosecutor Delwar Jahan Rumi confirmed the development.

The petition stated that Masud Uddin Choudhury and others allegedly abused state power by acting as agents for recruitment of Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia. Although the government-fixed recruitment cost was Tk 78,990, the accused allegedly collected additional illegal fees from workers, causing financial losses and extracting around Tk 11.93 billion in total.

The funds were allegedly laundered through multiple channels, violating the Penal Code, the Money Laundering Prevention Act, and the Anti-Corruption Commission Act.

The ACC argued that if granted bail, the accused could influence the investigation and obstruct proceedings, making it necessary to show him arrested in this case for a fair probe.

Masud Uddin Choudhury was arrested from his Baridhara DOHS residence in Dhaka on the night of March 23. The following day, a Dhaka court granted a five-day remand in a separate Paltan Model Police Station case. He has since been shown arrested and placed on remand in multiple cases.