Khaleda whitens her white money: Delwar

The main opposition BNP yesterday said that its chairperson Khaleda Zia whitened her money but it was absolutely ‘white money’, not black.

Describing the ‘white money’, the party said Khaleda Zia earned money from her immovable property of Tk 10 lakh and her Gulshan house which she got from the then President Abdus Sattar as pension and gratuity of her husband late President Ziaur Rahman after his assassination.

But she could not pay income tax because of legal complexity and she whitened this ‘white money’ in 2007.

BNP claimed this at a press briefing at the party’s central office in protest of the allegation brought against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia by ruling Awami League that she whitened Tk 1.31 crore black money.

AL acting general secretary Mahbub-ul-Hanif on Sunday claimed that they have Proofs of whitening Khaleda’s black money.

Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on May 7 brought the allegation against Khaleda but the party repeatedly denied it.

Khondker Delwar Hossain, the party’s secretary general, at the press briefing said that not a single black money of Khaleda Zia was whitened as she had no any illegal income source.

He refuted the allegation and described it as an ‘ill motive’ by the ruling party to tarnish the image of the leader of the opposition.

By contrast, Delwar reminded that allegations of having earned income from illegal sources remained against the incumbent Prime Minister and cases were filed against her (Hasina) in this regard.

He said the prime minister and her ministers failing govern the country disclosed false information.

The government has lost filthy under its leg and it might fall into hole, he added.

Ahmed Azam Khan, Khaleda’s counsellor and member of her advisory council, claimed Khaleda only took the opportunity to legalise her money in 2007 which tax was not paid under the project titled ‘White money whitening’.

So that was not black money, he said adding ‘complexity of income tax law and her lack of knowledge about tax was behind the delay to legalise her income.

Ahmed Azam claimed that AL leader Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif not understanding well created a puzzle between undeclared and black money.