While 1,100 workers perished as a mismanaged and ill-constructed Rana Plaza crumbled, the building’s owner may have been amassing wealth from the business and pocketing it for personal use.
On Friday, Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) decided to file two separate cases against the building’s owner, Sohel Rana and his parents, Abdul Khaleque and Marjina Begum for possessing illegal wealth.
During an investigation, the ACC reportedly uncovered proof that Rana’s father had assets worth 10.25 crore taka ($1.32 million), while his mother had 6.68 crore taka ($858,000), according to the Dhaka Tribune. Both allegedly acquired the funds illegally.
The Commission also served a notice to Rana, who is presently in prison on charges of negligence and illegal construction in connection with the factory disaster. He has been ordered to file a wealth statement to the ACC.
Rana reportedly owns another high-rise commercial building, Rana Tower, two residential buildings, has 23 bank accounts and five loan accounts with EXIM Bank Limited, National Bank Limited, Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited and Brac Bank Limited, according to the Dhaka Tribune. He also has a fixed deposit receipt account worth 35 lakh taka ($45,000).
Rana’s father, Khaleque, owns an oil factory and three residential buildings in his three sisters’ names—all acquired illegally according to the ACC.
An ACC-formed probe team has been investigating the family since the incident in April 2013, and has finally collected enough evidence to form a case.
