Masud Held in Recruitment Case

Former senior military officer and ex-Member of Parliament Lieutenant General (Retd.) Masud Uddin Chowdhury has been formally shown arrested in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over allegations of embezzling 11.9 billion Bangladeshi Taka through irregularities in sending workers to Malaysia.

On Monday (18 May), the order was issued by Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Sabbir Foyez in Dhaka following an application submitted by the ACC. The case concerns allegations linked to the recruitment and deployment of workers to Malaysia, where excess charges were allegedly collected beyond the government-fixed rate.

According to the court proceedings, the application seeking to show the accused as arrested in this case was initially filed on 25 March by the investigating officer, ACC Assistant Director Md Abul Kalam Azad. The development was confirmed by ACC Prosecutor Delwar Jahan Rumi.

The ACC application states that Masud Uddin Chowdhury, along with others, allegedly acted in collusion and abused governmental authority in securing appointment as agents responsible for recruiting workers for Malaysia. The government-fixed recruitment fee was set at 78,990 Bangladeshi Taka per worker. However, the accused persons are alleged to have collected additional sums unlawfully in excess of this approved amount.

It is further alleged in the case dossier that a total of 1,193,270,000 Bangladeshi Taka was collected in multiple phases from recruited workers through unlawful means. The complaint states that these funds were subsequently subjected to concealment, transfer, conversion, and movement through various channels in order to disguise their origin, constituting offences under the Penal Code, the Money Laundering Prevention Act, and the Anti-Corruption Commission Act.

The ACC further argued in its application that if the accused were granted bail, there was a possibility of interference in the ongoing investigation process. On this basis, the commission requested that Masud Uddin Chowdhury be formally shown as arrested in this specific case to ensure the integrity and continuity of the investigation.

It is also noted that Masud Uddin Chowdhury was earlier arrested on 23 March during a late-night operation at his residence in Baridhara DOHS area of the capital. The following day, on 24 March, a Dhaka court granted a five-day remand in connection with a separate case filed at Paltan Model Police Station. Subsequently, he has been shown arrested and placed on remand in multiple cases at different stages of proceedings.

The case remains under judicial process, with investigative activities continuing under the supervision of the relevant authorities.

Chronology of Key Developments