Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Director Sheikh Mohammad Fanafillah and Deputy Director Abu Bakar have allegedly amassed a fortune through shady deals and abuse of power, reveals an investigation of the Mirror Asia. 

These two and a group of corrupt ACC officials group blackmailed businessmen, government employees, and wealthy people by sending fake notices in the name of the ACC, raking in crores of taka. Their properties across Dhaka have come to light after an investigation, yet no action has been taken against them for reasons unknown. After a four-year investigation, a team uncovered the truth behind the allegations against Fanafillah. But mysteriously, the investigation report was buried, and the ACC couldn't take any action against these powerful officials. 

"We found massive irregularities committed by Fanafillah. Among his illegally acquired assets is a luxurious duplex worth over Tk 1 billion on plot number-48, road number-8 in Sector-12 of Uttara in Dhaka," a source in the investigation told the Mirror Asia requesting not to be named.

Besides these properties, Fanafillah accepted bribes from the accused and amassed significant wealth for his family. Despite the damning evidence, the investigation against him was halted for unknown reasons, raising serious questions about the ACC's commitment to tackling corruption.

In 2020, the ACC started an internal investigation against Fanafillah for allegedly breaking rules by giving "immoral favors" to Saif Powertech Limited Managing Director Tarafder Md. Ruhul Amin who was accused of amassing illegal wealth worth billions, laundering money, evading taxes, and running a monopoly business at Chattogram port. In early September 2020, the commission appointed Muhammad Zainal Abedeen, then an assistant director at the ACC, to look into the complaints against Ruhul Amin.

On September 14, 2020, Ruhul Amin was summoned to the ACC headquarters for interrogation. He showed up at 9:30 am and was greeted by Fanafillah. Instead of taking Ruhul Amin to the interrogation room, Fanafillah took him to his office and asked the investigation officer to question him there, according to documents obtained by the Mirror Asia.

When the investigation officer reported this to his supervisor, he was instructed to question Ruhul Amin in the designated interrogation room. However, before the interrogation could be completed, Fanafillah took Ruhul Amin back to his office.

The investigation officer reported the incident again, and the commission issued a show cause notice to Fanafillah for showing leniency to the accused. Fanafillah’s explanation to the commission was deemed unsatisfactory. On October 13 last year, the commission decided to conduct a departmental investigation against him for "tarnishing the image of the ACC and violating job discipline."

To probe the allegations against Fanafillah, the ACC appointed the then Director General as the investigation officer and the then ACC Secretary Muhammad Dilawar Bakht as the supervisor. Just like Fanafillah, Bakar, now on post-retirement leave, has also accumulated wealth through illegal means. Another probe team is currently investigating the allegations against Bakar.

According to the team, most of the allegations have been found to be true. His assets include a seven-story building in Mugda, a flat in Gulshan, and multiple properties in Uttara. On top of that, Bakar extorted money by offering to clear the names of accused individuals after taking charge of their investigations. He also mediated corruption deals between the accused and his colleagues, making several crores of taka in the process.

Bakar is the mastermind behind blackmailing people. Bakar even formed a syndicate with some of his relatives, targeting individuals to extort bribes. This group blackmailed businessmen, government employees, and wealthy people by sending fake notices in the name of the ACC, raking in crores of taka. This is an open secret within the ACC. When contacted, Fanafillah and Bakar didn't respond to the calls made by the Mirror Asia.

TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said, "If this is the state of our public institutions, it's definitely alarming. Those who are supposed to prevent corruption are involved in it themselves. This needs to be taken seriously by the relevant authorities. Otherwise, the responsibility falls on their shoulders."

The complaints against these two officials are still under investigation. ACC Secretary Khorseda Yasmeen said, "We will investigate whether the action against them was halted. No one can get away with a cognisable offence."