Ahmed Akbar Sobhan

Ahmed Akbar Sobhan (Shah Alam) (born on 15 February 1952) is a Bangladeshi business magnate and philanthropist. He is the founder and chairman of Bashundhara Group.^[1] Bashundhara Group operates in various lines of activities including real estate, cement manufacturing, paper and allied products, steel products, LP Gas, and shipping.

Ahmed Akbar Sobhan
Akbar Sobhan in October 2012
Born	(1952-02-15) 15 February 1952 (age 70) Bancharampur Upazila, Brahmanbaria, East Bengal, Pakistan
Other names	Shah Alam
Education	University of Dhaka
Occupation	Chairman of Bashundhara Group
Years active	1978–present
Website	www.ahmedakbarsobhan.net

Career

In 1987, Sobhan started the East West Property Development (Pvt) Ltd., now known as Bashundhara Housing and is part of Bashundhara Group.^[2] He also owns a number of media organizations through East West Media Group.^[3]

Sobhan is the President of Bangladesh Land Developers Association.^[4] He had served a term as the President of Bangladesh Cement Manufacturers Association.^[5]

In 2006, Sobhan sued Jugantor over two reports the newspaper had published.^[6][7]

On 19 April 2009, Sobhan signed a deal with Bangladesh Football Federation to provide 45 million taka to the federation in a sponsorship deal to support district level football.^[8] On 23 April 2009, he offered to build two stadiums for Bangladesh Football Federation. RAJUK was critical of the offer as the promised site was situated on protected wetlands.^[9]

On 4 March 2010, Sobhan filed a defamation suit against Prothom Alo over two reports the newspaper had published the previous year.^[10]

In June 2010, Sobhan had a confrontational meeting with Abdul Mannan Khan, state minister of housing and public works, on Detailed Area Plan by RAJUK between the minister and land developers.^[11][12] Following the meeting RAJUK order the demolition of a number of structures owned by Bashundhara group next week.^[13]

On 26 February 2014, Natore District correspondent of Jugantor, owned by Jamuna Group, Mahfuz Alam Moony, sued Sobhan, Imdadul Haq Milon, and Naem Nizam over reports published in newspapers owned by Bashundhara Group. According to the suit the news reports were against Moony and the distilarry of Jamuna group.^[14]

From 2005 to June 2018, Sobhan was the honorary consul of Ukraine in Bangladesh. He resigned from the post on 8 June 2018.^[15][16]

Sobhan personally intervened to stop Star Cineplex from leaving Bashundhara City during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh as the cineplex saw its earnings decline and faced difficulties paying rent.^[17] In 2020, he oversaw the launch of a bitumen plant by Bashundhara Oil and Gas Company, a subsidiary of Bashundhara Group.^[18]

Philanthropy

Covid-19 Pandemic

In March 2020, Sobhan proposed the conversion of four Bashundhara Group convention centres into a 5000-bed hospital for the treatment of COVID-19 patients to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. ^[19] On May 17th 2020, the Bashundhara COVID-19 Isolation Hospital was formally inaugurated by Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque at an event held at International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB). ^[20]

Sobhan donated 100 million taka to the Prime Minister's office to help combat the virus outbreak in the country in April 2020.^[21]

Bashundhara Eye Hospital

In December 2013, construction of the Bashundhara Eye Hospital and Research Institute - an establishment built specifically to provide high-quality eye-care to the impoverished - was completed. ^[22] It was inaugurated by Sobhan on December 5th, 2014. As of March 2021, the hospital has served 10,500 patients free of cost and organized various eye care camps throughout the country. Furthermore, the institute runs a Shariah-based Zakat fund for Muslims alongside other religious funds. ^[23]

Legal History

In October 2007, Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, his wife Afroza Begum, and their 4 sons were sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment on charges of tax evasion. During the 2006–08 Bangladeshi political crisis, Sobhan handed over the power of attorney for Bashundhara Group to a nine-member committee while he was absconding in London with his family. During the tenure of this committee, the Bashundhara Group paid more than Tk. 220 crore to the government as compensation for evading earlier taxes. This move was taken despite Sobhan's opposition and he retaliated by withdrawing the power of attorney for 4 officials of the nine-member committee.^[24] Another charge was that Sobhan and his family amassed wealth worth about Tk. 107 crore beyond their known sources of income and amassed Tk. 606.66 crore illegally while also concealing information about Tk. 14.17 crore. The charge sheet for the case mentioned that around Tk. 500 crore was whitened by the family.^[25] In December 2012, a case was filed against Sobhan, his son Sanvir, and 2 company officials for misappropriating nearly Tk. 40 crore from a businessman. The plaintiff (the chairman of a spinning mill) filed the case claiming that he was owed 3 plots from the East West Property Development Ltd.^[26] Sobhan and his son were acquitted in the case of three plots by Judge Erfan Ullah on 11 August 2014.

On 15 May 2010, assistant land officer of Shafipur union, Md Mukhlesur Rahman Khan, filled two cases against Sobhan and five others. In the cases he alleged that they accused were grabbing of government land, intimidating of government officials, and illegally lifting soil while working on Mouchak City Project of Bashundhara Group.^[27]

References

1. "Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, Chairman of Bashundhara Group". Bashundhara Group's Official Website.
2. Islam, A. K. M. zahidul. "Corporate Profile". Corporate Profile. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
3. Staff Correspondent; bdnews24.com. "Basundhara chairman at Jamuna TV launch". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
4. "Dhaka doesn't need wetland!". The Daily Star. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
5. "Cement makers elect Alamgir Kabir as new president of their association". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 30 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
6. "Jugantor editor, publisher get anticipatory bail in defamation case". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
7. "Arrest warrants on Jamuna group Chief, publisher, editor and news editor of Jugantor". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
8. "Bashundhara surprise". The Daily Star. 13 April 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
9. "Soccer promised in restricted wetlands". The Daily Star. 23 April 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
10. "Bashundhara boss sues Alo". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
11. "Shah Alam slams minister". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
12. "Shah Alam slugs minister". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
13. "Bashundhara told to raze part of city mall". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
14. "Defamation case against Bashundhara Group boss". Dhaka Tribune. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
15. "Ukranian [sic] consul Sobhan resigns". The Daily Star. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
16. . Consulate General of Ukraine in Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015.
17. "Star Cineplex staying at Bashundhara City". Dhaka Tribune. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2021. Thanking the mall authorities, Ruhel also said that the extension of the contract was successful after Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, chairman of Bashundhara Group, expressed his interest in discussing the matter with the Star Cineplex authority.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
18. "Bashundhara builds Bangladesh's biggest bitumen plant". The Daily Star. 23 February 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
19. "Covid-19 pandemic: Bashundhara to turn 4 convention centres into 5,000 bed hospital". Dhaka Tribune. Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
20. "Bashundhara Covid-19 Isolation Hospital inaugurated". Banglanews24.com. Banglanews24.com. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
21. "Basundhara donates Tk100 million to Dhaka to combat coronavirus". Saudigazette. 5 April 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
22. "Bashundhara Eye Hospital & Research Institute". vcf-bd.org/. Bashundhara Eye Hospital & Research Institute. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
23. "Bashundhara chairman". daily-sun.com. Daily Sun. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
24. "Battle for Bashundhara Group heats up". The Daily Star. 5 December 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
25. "Bashundhara Group chief, family charged with amassing Tk 107cr". The Daily Star. 11 August 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
26. "Bashundhara chief acquitted of corruption charge". Dhaka Tribune. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
27. "Bashundhara chief sued for land grabbing, threatening". The Daily Star. 15 May 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2021.