ACC sues two for amassing Tk34cr

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed two cases against two close associates of the former managing director of NRB Global Bank, Proshanta Kumar Halder, alias PK Halder, on charges of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 34 crore.

ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan filed the cases under the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, Section 26 (2) against PH Halder’s close associates--Purnima Halder and Shawapan Kumar Mistri--with its integrated district office in Dhaka-1 on Tuesday, confirmed ACC Acting Secretary Sayeed Mahbub Khan.

According to the case statement, Purnima Haldar amassed illegal wealth worth Tk 23,681,000, and Shawapan Kumar Mistri amassed wealth worth Tk 11,122,522, sources of which remained undisclosed to the graft watchdog.

Talking to journalists at the ACC headquarters in the capital’s Segunbagicha, Sayeed Mahbub Khan said they had issued notices against 33 individuals, who reportedly were members of the PK Halder syndicate, to submit their wealth statements to the commission.

Of them, 13 people are yet to submit their wealth statements to ACC, and cases will be filed against them soon, the ACC acting secretary said.

Additionally, ACC froze bank accounts of 83 individuals, members of the PK Halder syndicate.

Moreover, the graft watchdog croaked Tk 1,000 crore worth of assets and issued travel bans against 64 accused in the case.

The ACC official also said they interrogated 13 people during remand, and 11 of them have confessed to their involvement in PK Halder’s various scams.

The ACC secretary further informed that a total of 34 cases had been filed against PK Halder and his associates so far.

According to ACC sources, PK Halder is facing allegations of embezzling around Tk 10,000 crore, which he took as loans from different financial institutions in the name of companies owned by him and his family members.

PK Halder came under the spotlight during the anti-casino drives in the country in 2019.

He fled to Canada amid an allegation of embezzling money from ILFSL in early 2020.