Home ›› 18 May 2022 ›› Front
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) – an investigative agency of the Indian finance ministry – has tracked down assets worth Rs 150 crore belonging to Prashanta Kumar Halder, a notorious scammer and former managing director of NRB Global Bank.
Prosecution lawyer Arijit Chakraborty made the disclosure to local reporters after a Kolkata court on Tuesday placed PK Halder on a 10-day fresh remand as he was produced before the City Sessions Court, according to both foreign and domestic media reports.
Earlier the same day, the ED had produced Halder before CBI Special Court Judge Masuk Hussain Khan seeking 14 days of remand for interrogation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Halder – who is wanted in several graft cases filed over the embezzlement of Tk 10,000 crore in Bangladesh, was arrested along with five associates in India’s West Bengal on Saturday. Chakraborty said the authorities are working to track down even more assets of PK Halder.
Meanwhile, ED officials told local reporters that the accused is yet to provide any information on whether any politician of the province was involved in money laundering between Bangladesh and India, media reports say.
Handover of PK Halder may take time
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Tuesday, Indian High Commissioner Vikram Kumar Doraiswami hinted that the handover PK Halder to Bangladesh may take time because of the legal procedures.
Doraiswami and Masud Bin Momen discussed preparations for the foreign minister level Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting between Bangladesh and India, scheduled to be held on May 30 in Delhi, India.
Doraiswami told reporters that a discussion on the PK Halder issue took place during the meeting, and the matter is part of the normal cooperation between the two governments.
“We have all the requisite cooperation to deal with criminal elements of both the countries, including legal assistance,” he added.
Regarding Bangladesh’s request for the extradition of PK Halder, he said, “This is a matter of legal procedures. There will be a response from our side at a point of time based on relevant information.
“The matter will take time, as this is not like exchanging Christmas cards. These are things that are done through a legal process and it must be done gradually. We are working with Bangladesh in this regard.”
Speaking to the media after meeting with the Indian high commissioner, Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said, “PK Halder was arrested in West Bengal of India on a tip off from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Bangladesh.
“I have discussed the PK Halder issue with the Indian high commissioner, and the neighbouring country has assured of full cooperation in this regard.”
One more case against PK Halder aide
Bangladesh’s ACC on Tuesday filed a case against Ratan Kumar Biswas – a close associate of PK Halder in Bangladesh, on charges of amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 5.82 crore.
The anti-graft body’s Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Prodhan filed the case with its integrated district office in Dhaka-1, said ACC spokesperson M Arif Sadiq.
ACC officials further revealed that on April 4 last year, the ACC issued a notice asking Ratan Kumar Biswas asking him to submit a wealth statement, but the graft suspect did not respond to that notice.
Later, the ACC in its inquiry found that Ratan Kumar Biswas, who is the proprietor of RB Enterprise and director of Anan Chemical, amassed illegal wealth worth Tk 5.82 crore.
With the latest case, the ACC has so far filed 39 cases against PK Halder and his close associates, and numbers of cases are under process to be lodged, ACC sources said.
Jun 12 set for hearing on rule to bring back Halder
The High Court on Tuesday fixed June 12 for the hearing on a suo moto rule issued on November 19, 2020, seeking details regarding the Bangladesh government’s steps to bring back fugitive businessman PK Halder.
The court also directed the ACC to report the progress of cases filed against PK Halder within this period.
The High Court bench of justices Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo passed the order after Tuesday’s hearing.
PK Halder had settled in Ashoknagar area under North 24-Parganas. Posing as an Indian national under the name of Shibshankar Halder, he had acquired real estate properties in West Bengal, and introduced himself as a real estate promoter and financial expert.
Under the alias “Shibshankar Halder,” PK Halder forged documents such as a West Bengal ration card, Indian Voter ID card, Permanent Account Number and multi-purpose Aadhar card. He used those documents to buy properties in India with the laundered money.
ED interrogation revealed that PK Halder had passports of Bangladesh, India and Grenada.
ACC sources said Halder and his associates had allegedly embezzled over Tk 10,000 crore after receiving loans from various non-banking financial institutions in the name of companies owned by him and his family members.
On October 22, 2019, the ACC issued a travel ban on Halder, but he managed to flee the country through the Benapole land port. At that time, it was believed that Halder had fled to Canada.
