Behind his clean image, he turned out to be a prince of corruption. In fact, using his father’s clean reputation, former State Minister for Youth and Sports under Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian government, Zahid Ahsan Russel, built a massive family-run corruption syndicate. Though he presented himself to the public as a symbol of honesty, he actually amassed a mountain of wealth through corruption. He gathered huge sums of money and built properties in his own name and under aliases. He owns a house and a shopping center in Canada, a farmhouse in the United States, and various properties scattered across the country.

Russel was also known to have close ties with local drug dealers. In 2018, a government agency created a list of the top 10 drug dealers in Gazipur City. All 10 were from Tongi. Among them were student leaders like Moshiur Rahman Babu and Humayun Kabir Bappy — 7 out of the 10 were influential figures in the Chhatra League, Jubo League, and Krishak League, all of whom were very close to Russel. Not just Rezaul or the top 10 — Russel’s strong connections with drug dealers were considered an “open secret.”

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against former State Minister Zahid Ahsan Russel for illegally acquiring wealth. The commission has also ordered his wife to submit a statement of her assets. Shah Alam’s wife, Atiya Alam Mili, has been accused of holding unexplained assets worth over 5.5 million taka. The ACC has issued a notice for her to declare her assets.