Writ seeks probe into wealth of 50 lower court judges, officials

A writ petition has been filed with the High Court seeking an investigation into allegations of illegal wealth and corruption involving nearly 50 judges and officials of lower courts across the country.

Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Md. Amimul Ehsan Zubair filed the writ petition in public interest on Monday.

The petition lists as respondents two secretaries of the Ministry of Law, the Registrar General of the Supreme Court, and the Chairman, Secretary, and Director General of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

According to the lawyer, the hearing on the writ petition may take place on Tuesday (December 10) before a High Court bench comprising Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury.

The petition cites a report titled "Unbelievable Wealth of 50 Judges and Officials," published in a national daily on October 14. The report alleged that the ACC has uncovered evidence of extraordinary wealth amassed by over 50 judiciary officials. Many are said to have acquired hundreds of crores of taka through illegal means, with some allegedly owning assets worth thousands of crores.

The report also claimed that several individuals have purchased luxurious flats both in the country and abroad, with some owning properties in Canada’s Begum Para. A few have acquired ownership of hundreds of bighas of land.

The ACC’s intelligence unit reportedly uncovered evidence of corruption involving 51 members of the judiciary through a secret investigation. It has gathered records of their known and undisclosed wealth as well as assets acquired under pseudonyms.