A Dhaka court has imposed a travel ban on recently former Managing Director (MD) of Dhaka WASA, Md. Abdus Salam Bapari, and his wife Mahbubunnesa over allegations of corruption.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md. Sabbir Foyez issued the order on Tuesday following a petition filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police, according to bench assistant Md. Riaz Hossain.
On the day, CID Inspector Md. Ashraful Islam submitted an application seeking to bar Abdus Salam Bapari and related individuals from leaving the country and to obtain information from 20 institutions linked to them.
According to the petition, Abdus Salam and Mahbubunnesa, along with individuals connected to their interests, allegedly amassed large amounts of wealth illegally. It further stated that they allegedly laundered money abroad without permission from Bangladesh Bank and acquired significant properties in Canada and other countries.
The CID told the court that restricting their foreign travel was necessary to ensure a proper investigation into the alleged money laundering.
Earlier, on November 11 last year, the Local Government Division appointed Abdus Salam Bapari as the managing director of Dhaka WASA through an official notification. Before that, he served as the organization’s additional chief engineer.
Meanwhile, a report published in the daily Prothom Alo titled “House in Canada’s ‘Begum Para’ in the name of Dhaka WASA MD’s wife” sparked widespread criticism on social media.
Following the controversy, Abdus Salam submitted his resignation to the Ministry of Local Government on March 8.
Travel Ban on Retired Army Officer and Wife
In a separate order, the same court also barred retired Lieutenant Colonel (retd.) Asadul Islam and his wife Nasrin Shams from leaving the country over corruption allegations.
Bench assistant Riaz Hossain said the application was filed by Abdul Malek, an assistant director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
According to the petition, Asadul Islam is accused of acquiring wealth beyond known sources of income and conducting unusual transactions through bank accounts. An inquiry into the allegations is currently underway.
The ACC told the court that reliable sources indicated Asadul Islam and Nasrin Shams might attempt to leave the country, and therefore restricting their foreign travel was necessary to ensure a proper investigation.
