A former government minister faces serious charges of stealing public money during his time running a major department. Md Tajul Islam allegedly paid 100 crore taka just to become the Local Government Minister after the 2018 elections. He openly told top officials he needed to collect commissions from every government file to recover his investment. Sources say he turned the entire ministry into his personal money-making machine. The businessman-turned-politician reportedly made his department a center for massive theft.
Tajul started as a nobody but bought his way up through the political ranks over many years. His declared wealth jumped from 16 crore taka to more than 118 crore between 2008 and 2024. That represents a 242-times increase according to his election papers. Investigators believe his real wealth both inside Bangladesh and overseas is much higher than reported. His assets more than doubled just between 2018 and 2022.
His family members and close friends allegedly helped run the corruption network throughout the ministry. Nephew Shahadat Hossain and assistant personal secretary Zahid Hossain controlled transfers and appointments of government workers. Development coordinator Kamal Hossain made huge profits from construction contracts around Cumilla district. Anti-corruption officials filed charges against Kamal for illegally collecting 9 crore taka. They discovered he actually controls over 600 crore worth of property and assets.
Tajul started as a nobody but bought his way up through the political ranks over many years. His declared wealth jumped from 16 crore taka to more than 118 crore between 2008 and 2024. That represents a 242-times increase according to his election papers. Investigators believe his real wealth both inside Bangladesh and overseas is much higher than reported. His assets more than doubled just between 2018 and 2022.
His family members and close friends allegedly helped run the corruption network throughout the ministry. Nephew Shahadat Hossain and assistant personal secretary Zahid Hossain controlled transfers and appointments of government workers. Development coordinator Kamal Hossain made huge profits from construction contracts around Cumilla district. Anti-corruption officials filed charges against Kamal for illegally collecting 9 crore taka. They discovered he actually controls over 600 crore worth of property and assets.
