Harris Chowdhury

Abul Harris Chowdhury (1 November 19523 September 2021) was a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Political Secretary of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. He was the Joint Secretary General of Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Chowdhury was sentenced to 65 years in total and a life term in prison in absentia for allegedly committing multiple crimes. His party alleges the charges were falsely given, along with those against Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman, and many other senior party members.

Career Chowdhury was nominated to contest in the National Parliamentary Elections since 1977. He was Founding General Secretary and Divisional Organizing Secretary of Sylhet District branch of BNP and Joint Secretary General of BNP's Central Committee. President Ziaur Rahman gave him the responsibility of organizing the youth, he was the Founding Vice President of BNP's youth wing, Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Jubo Dal. He served as Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia's political secretary. He worked closely and for a long time with two state and government heads i.e. President Ziaur Rahman and Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. He served as the political secretary of the then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia from 2001 to 2006.

Charges and convictions Chowdhury had been a fugitive since the military-backed caretaker government took power on 11 January 2007. Later that year, Chowdhury was charged by the caretaker government of acquiring his wealth through illegal methods. In October, he was sentenced to three years in jail by a special anti-corruption tribunal for illegally possessing foreign currency. In November, a Dhaka court sentenced him to 59 years in jail and fined him Tk 21 lakh on five counts of charges, including abuse of power and government-transport mishandling.

He was charged with involvement in the murder of former finance minister, Shah A M S Kibria, in 2005. In November 2014, a supplementary charge-sheet was submitted accusing 35 people including Chowdhury. Chowdhury was also charged with involvement in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case. In February 2016, his properties were confiscated by the directives of Bangladesh High Court. In October 2018, a special court found Chowdhury and 37 others guilty in the grenade attack case. He was sentenced to life term in prison and fined Tk 50,000. Interpol Red Notice had been served on him in November 2015.

Chowdhury's family also refers to the allegations and charges against him along with the convictions he received to be simply political and part of the political culture of the country

Personal life and death Chowdhury was married to Josne Ara Chowdhury. While his brother’s announcement was widely reported, other controversial sources often criticised for spreading disinformation reported that Chowdhury had not died. Nonetheless, drawing a conclusion to all politically motivated controversies surrounding the matter, His daughter, Samira Tanzin Chowdhury, revealed to the media and confirmed particularly in an investigative report by acclaimed journalist Matiur Rahman Chowdhury the Editor in Chief of the Manab Zamin that Harris Chowdhury in fact died in Evercare Hospital, Dhaka never having fled the country.