Former Member of Parliament and retired Lieutenant General Masud Uddin Chowdhury has been placed on a four-day remand in connection with a corruption case filed over the alleged embezzlement of more than Tk 1.19 billion through the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers for employment in Malaysia.
The order was issued on Sunday by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Sabbir Foyez following a petition submitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The court granted four days of remand after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.
According to court sources, ACC Assistant Director Md Abul Kalam Azad, who is leading the investigation, sought a seven-day remand for further questioning of the accused. During the hearing, ACC Public Prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam argued in favour of the remand request, stating that further interrogation was necessary to uncover the full extent of the alleged financial irregularities and identify other individuals who may have been involved.
Defence lawyers opposed the application and requested that the remand petition be rejected. After considering submissions from both sides, the court approved a four-day remand instead of the seven days sought by investigators.
Allegations in the ACC Case
The ACC alleges that Masud Uddin Chowdhury and several others acted in collusion to secure appointment as agents responsible for recruiting workers for Malaysia by abusing official authority and influence. Investigators claim that although the government had fixed the migration cost for each worker at Tk 78,990, the accused collected additional unauthorised fees from prospective migrant workers.
According to the case documents, the accused allegedly extracted a total of Tk 119 crore 32 lakh 70 thousand through various stages of the recruitment process, causing financial losses to thousands of workers seeking overseas employment opportunities.
The ACC further claims that the money obtained through these alleged irregularities was subsequently concealed through various financial transactions, including transfers, conversions and other methods designed to disguise the source of the funds. As a result, the case includes allegations under provisions of the Penal Code, the Money Laundering Prevention Act and anti-corruption legislation.
Case Summary
Item
Details
Accused
Lt Gen (Retd.) Masud Uddin Chowdhury
Investigating Agency
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)
Alleged Amount Misappropriated
Tk 119.32 crore
Sector Involved
Recruitment of workers for Malaysia
Government-approved Recruitment Cost
Tk 78,990 per worker
Remand Sought by ACC
7 days
Remand Granted by Court
4 days
Court
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court
Previous Arrest
Masud Uddin Chowdhury was earlier detained by the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB) police on the night of 22 March from his residence in Baridhara DOHS in the capital. Following his detention, he was formally arrested in a separate case.
Since then, he has remained in custody and has been remanded on several occasions in connection with different ongoing investigations. The latest remand relates specifically to the ACC’s inquiry into alleged corruption and money laundering linked to the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers for Malaysia.
Investigators maintain that additional questioning is required to verify financial transactions, trace the movement of funds and determine the roles of other individuals named in the case. The ACC’s investigation into the alleged embezzlement and money-laundering activities remains ongoing.
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