Gulshan-2 flat: ACC approves charge sheet against Tulip

The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday approved a charge sheet against British lawmaker Tulip Siddiq in a case alleging she unlawfully obtained a flat from Eastern Housing Limited in Gulshan-2 in exchange for undue benefits

ACC Director General Md Akhter Hossain said Tulip's name had appeared in the note sheet of the flat owners' list submitted to the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).

The ACC filed the case on April 15 this year against Tulip and former Rajuk officials Shah Khasruzzaman and Sardar Mosharraf Hossain.

In July, Khasruzzaman secured a High Court order staying the investigation against him for three months.

When the ACC sought to vacate the stay through the Supreme Court's Chamber Judge, it received a "no order" ruling. With no further legal avenue over the past five months, the ACC dropped Khasruzzaman from the case and completed the investigation against Tulip and Mosharraf, Akhter said.

According to the ACC, Dhaka North City Corporation records show Eastern Housing informed authorities that Tulip had been in possession of the flat since 2001, when her aunt Sheikh Hasina was in power, and that the flat was registered in her name in 2002.

Investigators said Tulip concealed this information and falsely showed an advance payment to the developer. City corporation documents also confirm the flat remains in her name and that she continues to pay tax for it, the ACC said.