Taqsem A Khan, the managing director of Dhaka WASA, has refuted a recent media report indicating that he owns over a dozen houses in the US, branding it "baseless and malicious".
“Of the 14 houses mentioned [in the report], five were rented by my family at various times. Another house is registered in my wife's name,” Taqsem told reporters at the Dhaka WASA offices in Karwan Bazar on Tuesday, reports bdnews24.com.
Taqsem said his wife holds a government job in the US, adding that his family members have been American citizens since 1995. Reports noting that international intelligence agencies are investigating his financial transactions and the houses are a "media stunt", according to him.
Addressing two recent complaints filed against him with the Anti-Corruption Commission, Taqsem said, "Those who feel aggrieved at the good work being done by Dhaka WASA lodged these complaints. I have never made any ill-gotten money in my life. And I never will. I wanted to leave the post of WASA MD many times. But I have been requested [to stay on].”
“My wife and children are well established [in the US], so buying a house there isn't too difficult. There is a house in my wife's name. It can't be called a house either -- it's an apartment," he said.
"There have been various reports about me. But all of them have already been proven false. So they are all untrue and ill-motivated. Those who haven't or aren't getting any immoral benefits from WASA are mainly behind it.”
Taqsem also dismissed allegations that he used the WASA job to amass wealth that was then laundered to the US. "I came back from there [the US] to work at WASA. My wife works in the government there. My son also has a very good job there. They don't need to rely on my income to get by. They are doing very well there. That's why there's nothing unusual about my wife having an apartment in her name.
A report published in a national daily on Monday suggested that Taqsem owned 14 houses worth hundreds of millions in several American cities. But the WASA chief labelled the report as "completely false".
"My son had also once rented a house there, but he gave it up long ago. My name was written down as the guardian." Taqsem claimed that their names were taken from the internet and the report was published to malign him.
“A building has 10-15 apartments. You will also get the current market price of those apartments from websites. There is no house with 102 bedrooms and 102 bathrooms. And we don't even consider presidential homes. There are usually no such homes in America. Therefore it is completely false, ill-motivated and baseless."
Meanwhile, two complaints have also been submitted to the ACC on Taqsem's assets in the US. Taking into account the newspaper report, the High Court also sought details about the progress of the investigation into the two complaints, asking the national anti-graft agency to report back within 15 days.