Getting NID with fake info: Ex-army chief Aziz’s 2 brothers to face EC probe

The Election Commission is going to investigate the allegations that the two brothers of former army chief General (retd) Aziz Ahmed obtained national identity cards "using false information".

The commission's NID wing yesterday got approval to form a three-member committee to see how Haris Ahmed and Tofael Ahmed, who goes by the alias Joseph, got NID cards using false information.

Anisur Rahman, an election commissioner, yesterday confirmed the development.

The US on May 21 imposed sanctions on Aziz Ahmed and his immediate family members for what it said was his involvement in significant corruption.

Aziz was the chief of army staff between June 2018 and June 2021. He led Border Guard Bangladesh between 2012 and 2016.

Aziz is the eldest of five brothers. His brothers Tofael, Haris and Anis Ahmed hogged headlines during the 1990s and the 2000s for murder, extortion, and possession of illegal firearms.

Joseph alone was accused in 10 cases filed in connection with extortion and possession of illegal firearms. Joseph was sentenced to death and Haris and Anis to life in prison in a murder case in 2004.

Aziz got media attention after Joseph got clemency in the murder case in 2018 and Haris and Anis in 2019.

Al-Jazeera on February 1, 2021, aired a documentary titled "All the Prime Minister's Men" in which it claimed that Aziz exerted influence to help his three convicted brothers get various contracts.

The army headquarters and the foreign ministry refuted the allegations made by Al-Jazeera, labelling it "false" and "slanderous".

Both Haris and Joseph are now believed to be abroad.

EC sources said several media reported that in Joseph's mother's application for remission of his sentence, she mentioned Abdul Wadud and Renuja Begum as the parents of Joseph.

But Haris took a NID (national ID) card under the name Mohammad Hasan using the names Suleman Sarkar and Rahela Begum as his parents. He also changed his photo in the NID card in 2019. The then army chief General (retd) Aziz Ahmed made the recommendations for changing the photo.

Tofael Ahmed alias Joseph, another brother of Aziz Ahmed, has two NIDs. Tofael had an NID card with names of parents as Abdul Wadud and Renuja Begum and another NID card using his name as Tanvir Ahmed Tanjeel, with names of parents as Suleman Sarkar and Rahela Begum.

According to the National Identity Registration Act-2010, a person can be punished with one year in jail or slapped a fine of Tk 20,000 or both for providing false or distorted information or concealing information to get an NID card.

A person can be sentenced up to seven years in prison or fined up to Tk 1,00,000 for forging an NID card or carrying a forged one knowingly. If any person helps in forging NID cards, he or she will also face the same punishment.