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TL;DR
- BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed visited his constituency in Cox’s Bazar using a luxury vehicle owned by the controversial S Alam Group
- The vehicle, registered under S Alam Power Plant, was confirmed by BRTA to belong to the S Alam Group headquartered in Chittagong
- Salahuddin Ahmed claimed he was unaware of the car’s ownership, despite videos showing him waving to supporters from the vehicle
- The incident raises questions about BNP’s ties to the S Alam Group, which is under investigation by CID for alleged financial misconduct and corruption
BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed recently visited his constituency in Cox’s Bazar, riding in a luxury vehicle owned by the controversial S Alam Group. Ahmed arrived at Cox’s Bazar Airport from Dhaka last Wednesday around 12:15 PM and then reached Pekua with a convoy of party leaders and workers.
Videos shared on social media by BNP supporters show Salahuddin Ahmed waving to people from the front seat of a Mitsubishi Jeep with the registration number Chatt Metro G-11-1533. The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) confirmed that this vehicle is registered under S Alam Power Plant, a subsidiary of the S Alam Group, at their headquarters in Chittagong.
Salahuddin Ahmed, who served as a Member of Parliament twice from the Cox’s Bazar-1 constituency, was visiting his district after more than a decade. He claimed that he was unaware of the ownership of the car he rode in, stating, “Hundreds of people have come. I don’t know whose car I got into. The driver who drove the car has been driving my family’s car for seven-eight years.”
This incident comes amidst growing scrutiny of the S Alam Group, a conglomerate owned by Mohammad Saiful Alam. The group controls six banks in Bangladesh and has recently been accused of widespread corruption. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police has launched an investigation against Saiful Islam and his associates for allegedly smuggling Tk 1 lakh 13 thousand 245 crores abroad.
In a separate incident last Thursday, a video circulated on social media showing luxury cars leaving an S Alam Group factory in Kalurghat, Chittagong, under the supervision of alleged BNP leaders and workers. In response, the party has issued show-cause notices to three leaders, including the South District BNP convener Abu Sufian.
The use of a vehicle belonging to the controversial S Alam Group by a senior BNP leader has raised questions about the party’s ties to the conglomerate, especially in light of the ongoing investigations into the group’s alleged financial misconduct.
Source: Prothom Alo
