Most of the ministers' sons used to run illegal Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) business and make a profit of up to Tk 5 crore a month during the BNP-led alliance rule. Of them, former finance minister M Saifur Rahman's son [Babu] and daughter both were involved in the lucrative but unlicensed Internet telephony services that deprived the government of up to Tk 3,000 crore in revenue each month. Lutfozzaman Babar, ex-state minister for home, has recently given away the information about the high-profile VoIP syndicate to the Task Force for Interrogation (TFI). The names he mentioned under interrogation include Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman, Giasuddin Al Mamun, owner of Daffodil Computers Sabur Khan and sons of Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and AL leader and former telecoms minister Mohammad Nasim.
Sources close to the interrogators quoting Babar also said that former premier Khaleda Zia's nephew Shahrin Islam Tuhin would control the entire business through Sabur Khan. The VoIP rackets used to operate through those having Internet Service Provider (ISP) license. Besides, the former state minister said, when Saifur's son Babu had smuggled in a huge consignment of cigarettes, the then finance minister had played a mere onlooker's role.
Babar told the interrogators that each of those in the VoIP business would earn between Tk 4 crore and Tk 5 crore. He claimed that he raised the issue before Khaleda Zia at least 50 times and urged her either to stop the illegal business or legalise it by issuing licence. Each time she assured that she would look into the matter later but it never came true.
Tarique himself made sure no actions were taken against the VoIP operators. Babar also contended that not a single sector was free of corruption during the BNP-Jamaat-led alliance rule.