With the help of the anti-corruption task force, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) yesterday finally repossessed the house situated in the upscale area of Gulshan in the capital. It is the first instance of recovering such a large scale expensive property from a high profile corruption suspect since the ongoing anti-corruption drive started in February.

The house at the address of Holding # 6 on Road # 53 in Gulshan, had initially been allotted to Harris Chwodhury in 2002 when he had been the political secretary to former prime minister Khaleda Zia, with the rank and status of a state minister. Harris liked the house so much that he started to make plans to acquire it permanently, a source close to Harris family said.

As part of his plans he influenced Rajuk to mark the house as abandoned with help from former housing and public works minister Mirza Abbas. Abusing his power, Harris later influenced Rajuk to allot the house to some Fakir Mahbub Anam alias Swapan. Mirza Abbas not only allotted the house to his party colleague but also influenced Rajuk to devalue the house. Rajuk officials evaluated the house only at Tk 5.34 crore but the task force probe committee now estimates the price at no less than Tk 40 crore.

Harris Chowdhury bought the one-storey house from Rajuk in 2004 and added another floor to it following the allotment. He also renovated and beautified the house extensively. To avoid any legal problem Harris also arranged to transfer the power of attorney of the house to his younger brother Emran Hossain Chowdhury.

There are allegations that the house was renovated with government fund also.

Harris and his family had been living in the house until the current interim government took over the reins of the country. Now Harris is convicted in absentia in a graft case and sentenced to three years imprisonment for not submitting his wealth statements to the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC). The authorities are now preparing to file some more graft cases against him for acquiring a large number of properties illegally at home and abroad.

When the interim government took over power, Harris Chowdhury went into hiding and his family left the house abandoned. Members of the joint forces along with forest officials seized a pair of pew fowls and an Infinity luxury sports utility vehicle which he had received as a bribe from Orion Group for awarding the company the construction contract of Gulistan-Jatrabari flyover in the capital. So far the task force and the ACC investigators found assets worth more than Tk 22.5 crore of Harris Chowdhury that are disproportionate to his known sources of income. Most of those assets are under the names of others.

The original allottee of the house Fakir Mahbub Aanam applied to the government on May 6 this year pleading to be allowed to surrender the house to it.

Fakir, in his application to the secretary to the housing and public works ministry, mentioned that the house had been allotted to him but it is not really his house. Harris Chowdhury owned the house and himself paid for the expenses for acquiring and renovating it.

Following the allotment on October 15, 2004 Harris and his family were living in the house, Fakir mentioned in his letter adding that he was keen to surrender the house to the government and was ready help the government regarding the repossession.

The government formed a probe committee to look into the culture of corruption allegedly plaguing Rajuk, as well as the corruption of Mirza Abbas. The Gulshan house is one of the 18 government houses Mirza Abbas sold to his peers for nominal prices when he was the housing and public works minister.

The probe committee also found that the house is situated on a total of 22.8 kathas of land, and according to the present value of lands in Gulshan, the price of the house is no less than Tk 40 crore, a member of the inquiry committee said.

The joint forces investigated the case and initiated a process of getting the house back for Rajuk. First they arranged to nullify the power of attorney, then they completed the process of registration yesterday.

"The original allottee came to my office and signed the deed of surrender yesterday afternoon," AKM Harun, the chairman of Rajuk, told The Daily Star last night.

The Rajuk chairman said the Public Works Department will take over the house and the housing ministry will decide what to do with it.