Corruption and Abuse of Power
Since 2008, several political cases were filed against him. In 2023, he was arrested and imprisoned in a case involving alleged sabotage. After spending a significant amount of time in custody, he was released on bail by the High Court in early 2024.
In June 2026, Alam became the subject of controversy after opposition lawmakers alleged that three newly created unions in Alam's constituency Mirbari, Digonto, and Simanto had been named after his family title and his two sons. Alam in response denied the allegation, claiming that the names had "miraculously" coincided with those of his sons. This drew criticism from lawmakers within the ruling BNP, who said it had embarrassed the party and raised concerns about favoritism and the government's public image.
Alam has faced allegations of favoritism, conflict of interest, and abuse of office. A Netra News report from June 2026 claimed that his constituency, Shibganj, received Tk 74 crore in road, footpath, and bridge projects, with a major share reportedly going to his son Mir Shimanto Alam’s contracting firm, including Tk 13.5 crore in projects. In July, Channel One separately reported that the minister and his family obtained nearly Tk 40 crore in government contracts after he became a minister, including contracts under multiple ministries and his own ministry. The report also raised questions about potential conflicts of interest and alleged that some projects had the minister’s firm as the sole bidder.
In June 2026 it was reported that Alam, despite not being the minister responsible for the Home Ministry, sent a demi-official (DO) letter to the Home Ministry concerning Muhammad Sharif, Officer-in-Charge of Sadarghat Police Station in Chattogram. The letter called for an investigation into allegations against Sharif, including political bias, extortion, corruption, illegal financial transactions, and abuse of power. Sharif denied the allegations. Following the Home Ministry’s directive, Sharif was withdrawn from his post and a committee was formed to investigate the allegations.
In August 2026, Channel One reported that Executive Engineer Md. Tabibur Rahman Talukdar of the Department of Public Health Engineering, who had been temporarily suspended over allegations of corruption, was cleared of the allegations and reinstated within just 12 days following a recommendation from Alam. He was later assigned as the project director of two projects worth nearly Tk 4,000 crore, raising questions about Alam’s influence over the administration and abuse of power. A journalist was also arrested under the Cyber Security Act and an extortion case after reporting allegedly defamatory information about the minister, but was later granted bail following a settlement.
In September 2026, The Daily Star revealed that Alam's family-owned businesses had secured at least 12 government contracts worth over Tk 71 crore between 2024 and 2026. The report raised conflict-of-interest concerns over contracts awarded after Alam became state minister for industries and his previous role as a director of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation operating under the same ministry. According to Samakal, Alam's son Simanto used his father's government position to seek tax and customs exemptions for Alam's family-owned Rupsi Rice and Nutrition Mills, submitting a request to the National Board of Revenue that included Alam's official visiting card. The report quoted Transparency International Bangladesh describing the use of public office for private business interests as an ethical violation and conflict of interest.
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