MD of Dhaka WASA removed

Engineer Md Abdus Salam Bepari, Managing Director (MD) of Dhaka WASA, has been removed from his post. The Ministry of Local Government accepted his resignation on Sunday, March 8.

The removed official faces serious allegations of corruption and money laundering. He was hastily appointed as MD of WASA on November 11 last year during the final days of the interim government. Questions had already been raised regarding his appointment process.

It is learned that Abdus Salam Bepari was involved in three major projects of WASA, with expenditures amounting to approximately Tk 5,000 crore. A departmental case had previously been filed against him on corruption charges. In this context, his appointment to such an important organisation as WASA drew criticism.

Meanwhile, the police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is also investigating allegations of money laundering against him. Preliminary inquiries revealed that after joining Dhaka WASA as an Assistant Engineer in 1991, he illegally sent money earned from various sources abroad. Allegations have been raised that he purchased substantial assets in Canada and the United States in his own name, his wife's name, and names of individuals with vested interests.

Investigation further revealed that in 2018, he purchased a house in Toronto, Canada, in his own name and that of his wife Mahbubunnesa. According to local land registration sources, the current value of the house bought on March 28, 2018, is approximately Tk 20 crore in Bangladeshi currency. Various media outlets have also published reports about his family owning a house in Toronto.