Syed Abul Hossain

Abul Hossain was born on 1 October 1951[9] to a Bengali Syed family in the village of Dasar, Madaripur. His parents were Syed Atahar Ali and Syeda Sufia Ali. He completed his bachelor's in business management from the University of Dhaka in 1972 and master's in 1974.[10]

After completing his education, Hossain joined government service and later ventured into business. He founded SAHCO International Ltd and SAHCO NGO in 1975. He was the founding member of Boao Forum for Asia, which was conceived in 2001 in Hainan Province, China.

Hossain was elected as a member of Jatiya Sangsad in four general elections: in 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2008. He also served as a Communication Minister, and the Minister of Information and Communication Technology. He was the International Affairs Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League during 1991–2012.[2]

In an investigation by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Canadian construction company SNC-Lavalin had offered bribes to at least six Bangladeshis, including Hossain, to obtain the consultant's job in the Padma bridge project.[11] The RCMP shared the information with the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh (ACC).[11] Following the findings, the World Bank alleged that Hossain was a conspirator in the graft scandal regarding the bridge construction project.[12] Hossain denied the allegations that he misused his position as a minister. He resigned from his office on 23 July 2012 (effective 23 August 2012).[1] He was acquitted in 2014 by the Bangladeshi courts and the Anti-Corruption Commission.[13][14]

The Canadian case was dropped in 2017 after Judge Ian Nordheimer found that the RCMP did not have sufficient evidence to justify their initial wiretap,[13] although Hossain had already been acquitted by a lower Canadian court.[15]

On 30 August 2011, diplomatic cables of former US ambassador to Bangladesh James F. Moriarty were published by WikiLeaks. Hossain was termed "a less than honest" man in his business dealings.[16] The cables mentioned that Hossain, the then Minister of Communications, had told the ambassador that development of transport infrastructure in Bangladesh was critical to the Awami League's re-election chances.[16] Also, Hossain had ties with China. The cables were sent after the conversation with Hossain at a dinner party on 3 February 2010.[16]

Hossain married Begum Khwaja Nargis in September 1979. They have two daughters, Rubaiyat Hossain and Iffat Hossain.[10]

Hossain founded educational institutions including Kalkini Syed Abul Hossain University College, Syed Abul Hossain College, D.K. Ideal Syed Atahar Ali Academy and College, Khaserhat High School and College, Mostafapur High School and College, Sheikh Hasina Academy and Women’s College and Syed Abul Hossain Academy.[10] In 2019, the Bidyashagar Award was conferred upon him in Kolkata.[17]