Anti-Corruption Commission Issues Asset Declaration Notices to Imprisoned Journalists Shakil Ahmed and Farzana Rupa
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The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has initiated a formal process to serve wealth disclosure notices to detained journalist couple Shakil Ahmed and Farzana Rupa in connection with allegations of acquiring assets beyond their known sources of income.
ACC spokesperson Aktarul Islam confirmed on Sunday that the anti-graft body decided to route the notices through the prison authorities after previous attempts to serve the documents at their residence proved unsuccessful. The commission learned that the suspects were incarcerated in separate criminal cases, necessitating the involvement of jail superintendents to ensure the legal documents are served.
According to commission records, Shakil Ahmed is currently held at the Kashimpur High Security Central Jail, while Farzana Rupa is detained at the Munshiganj District Jail. The ACC constable previously tasked with delivering the notices had returned the forms after finding their residence empty, which led the agency to discover their current legal status.
Under the mandate issued pursuant to Section 26(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, the suspects are required to submit detailed statements of their movable and immovable assets, including those held in their own names, in the names of their spouses, or in the names of dependents. The commission has issued wealth disclosure form number 007213 for Shakil Ahmed and 007214 for Farzana Rupa. They must account for all liabilities, sources of income, and the methods by which the reported assets were acquired within 21 working days of receiving the notice.
The commission’s files state that, based on preliminary inquiries, it has reason to believe the couple has acquired substantial wealth disproportionate to their known income sources. However, these findings remain at the investigation stage, and no formal charges have been proven in court.
Failure to submit the required disclosures or the provision of false information may result in legal action under Section 26(2) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act.
Shakil Ahmed, the former head of news at Ekattor Television, and Farzana Rupa, the former chief reporter at the same network, were detained by authorities at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on August 21, 2024.
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