Seven officials of Rural Development Academy (RDA) in Bogura have been sued on charge of embezzling Tk 2.5 crore from a government project.

Aminul Islam, assistant director of Ant-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Bogura, filed the case with Sherpur Police Station on Tuesday, said Officer in Charge Humayan Kabir.

The accused are former director general of RDA MA Matin, Md Mahmud Hossain Khan, director of the project titled 'Palli Janapad', Md Nazrul Islam Khan, director (project planning and monitoring), Md Abid Hossain Mridha, deputy project director, Sheikh Shahariar Mohammad, assistant project director (monitoring), Md Arif Hossain Jewel, assistant director (physical infrastructure) and Runia Yeasmin, cashier of the project.

Receiving allegation of such gross misappropriation of the project fund, ACC in Dhaka ordered Aminul Islam to complete the investigation in November last year.

After investigation, Bogura ACC found that the RDA officials embezzled Tk 2.5 crore from the project.

The government has taken an ambitious project of setting up new model villages

with limited urban facilities to prevent shrinkage of agriculture land. Villages would be selected from seven divisions.

On March 7 in 2015, The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approvedtheTk424crore'PalliJanapad' project

In Rajshahi division, Bogura RDA acquired 5.67 acres of land worth Tk 7,39,31400 in Aria union (mouza Jamalpur) under Sherpur upazila for implementing the project . But RDA was supposed to acquire 3.75 acres of land according to the project proposal.

According to the case statement, violating the government rules of acquiring land, project official bought the land directly from the farmers at lower rate (only Tk 50 to Tk 60 thousand per decimal) but RDA showed that they bought land from the owners forTk 1.3 lakh per decimal.

Quoting land acquisition officer in Bogura, ACC official Aminul said the market price of 5.67 acres of land is Tk 5,23,76939 but RDA spent Tk 7,39,31400 for this. The RDA officials embezzled total Tk 2.5 crore from the project.

Nazrul Islam, director, planning and monitoring of the project, refuted the allegation brought against him by ACC.