He began as the owner of a modest garment factory, financed through a bank loan. Exports grew steadily, but that wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to become rich – and fast. After weighing his options, he concluded that the quickest route to wealth was through politics: to become an MP or a minister, and to exploit public resources. Determined to take the shortcut to riches, he entered politics.
That man is Shahriar Alam, multiple-term member of parliament for Rajshahi-6. He first stood for election in 2008 with the Awami League’s nomination. His political ambitions, however, had nothing to do with ideology; his aim was to make money.
Interestingly, Shahriar Alam’s first political approach was not to the Awami League but to BNP leader Mizanur Rahman Minu, a prominent figure in the Rajshahi region. Shahriar expressed an interest in joining the BNP. Minu, however, saw through him. Sensing that Shahriar’s motives were not public service but personal enrichment, Minu advised him that one did not need to be a politician to serve the people and urged him to focus on business instead.
Undeterred, Shahriar turned to the Awami League, where he reportedly bought the party nomination for the Rajshahi-6 constituency. With that, he gained access to what critics describe as a “machine for minting wealth”. From penniless beginnings, he became a billionaire.
In 2008, Shahriar Alam was elected MP for the first time. Under the Awami League government, he was appointed state minister for foreign affairs. In his first election affidavit, he declared himself landless, reporting movable assets worth Tk2 crore but loans totalling Tk76.14 crore. This heavily indebted businessman went on to accumulate assets worth billions after becoming an MP.
Allegations suggest that over 15 years of Awami League rule, Shahriar amassed immense wealth – both movable and immovable – through transfer and appointment deals, corruption, and abuse of power. He is also accused of laundering money to Russia, Brazil and China, where he reportedly established several business ventures.
According to Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) sources, Shahriar currently owns eight garment factories. To obscure his financial dealings, he has invested in the media. Under the name Renaissance Group, the former minister owns Duronto TV. He has also founded a private medical college in Rajshahi, and bought two luxury 3,600-square-foot flats in Gulshan—one under his own name, one under his son’s, and another under his second wife’s.
In his 2024 affidavit, Shahriar declared ownership of 51 bighas of agricultural and non-agricultural land, despite having reported none in 2008.
Having found preliminary evidence of illegal assets worth billions in the names of Shahriar Alam and his family, the ACC has launched a formal investigation.
Documents show that in 2008, Shahriar declared movable assets of Tk2.3 crore and loans of Tk76.14 crore across various companies. By 2024, he reported movable assets of Tk89.24 crore and claimed to have repaid all company loans — a rise of Tk165 crore in declared movable wealth.
Records from the 2018 election show his two sons jointly possessed Tk79 lakh in movable assets; five years later, that amount had ballooned to Tk7.45 crore.
Asset documents further reveal that in 2010, after becoming an MP, Shahriar purchased 25 bighas of land in the Chowdhuryhat area of Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila, where he built a bungalow, cattle farm, tissue culture lab and bonsai research centre. Using this land as collateral, he obtained a Tk200 crore bank loan. He also established North Bengal Agro Farms Ltd in Basantapur, Godagari, Rajshahi.
In 2017, he bought 13 more bighas in Kaliganj Upazila, Lalmonirhat District, where he built another farmhouse for cultivating high-value crops, vegetables, and fish. Shahriar’s childhood was spent in Lalmonirhat, which explains his attachment to the area. His long-time aide, Siraj, also hails from Kaliganj.
In his constituency of Rajshahi-6 (Charghat–Bagha), Shahriar reportedly acquired large tracts of land at nominal prices, often after luring locals with promises of garment factories and other projects. Among his holdings are 33 decimals of land containing a cinema hall, another 33-decimal plot near the Upazila Land Office, and several other properties.
After divorcing his first wife, Ayesha Akhter Dalia, Shahriar married Sylvia Parveen Leni, daughter of a local Awami League leader from Lalpur, Natore. In 2021, he allegedly used his influence to have his mother-in-law, Rokhsana Mortuza Lili, appointed mayor. He is also said to have gifted his second wife a luxurious 3,600-square-foot Gulshan flat.
Sources claim that since being elected in 2008, Shahriar Alam has engaged in embezzlement and extortion in his constituency to build his fortune. Through his aide Sirajul Islam, he is alleged to have controlled government grants and local projects, including TR-Kabikha funds. He is also accused of taking bribes in teacher recruitment and job transfers, collecting large sums for placements and promotions.
When first elected in 2008, Shahriar drove a Honda CR-V worth around Tk10 lakh. Today, he is seen travelling in a luxury vehicle valued at Tk1 crore, while his wife’s car is reportedly worth the same.
Bd-pratidin English/ ANI
