Scores of money launderers at large

Scores of money launderers have either fled abroad or are holed up in the country, according to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Most of the accused have businesses in the United Kingdom (UK), Europe, Canada, Singapore, India, Dubai or other countries. They have obtained foreign citizenship by investing their laundered money.

Recently, the Global Financial Integrity (GFI) has published a report. It says Tk64,000 crore, on average, is being siphoned off every year from the country. PK (Prasanta Kumar) Halder, was allegedly involved in over Tk10,000 crore loan scams. The money was taken from several financial institutions and banks.

ACC sources say currently former BASIC Bank chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bachchu, Bismillah Group managing director Khaza Soleiman Anower Chowdhury, chairperson Nawrin, SB Punno Group chairman Shahjahan Bablu, Crescent Group’s Abdul Aziz,Chattogram-based Silvia Group Chairman Muzibur Rahman Milon are either staying abroad or being holed up in the country. Several officials of Hallmark and Destiny groups also left the country. They were either accused or sentenced by court.

“We heard most of them had fled abroad. To bring them back the ACC sought Interpol’s help,” Khurshid Alam Khan, lawyer of the ACC, told The Business Post.

BASIC Bank

Former BASIC Bank chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bachchu who embezzled Tk4,500 crore from bank are still out of the dragnet of law. The ACC did not include his name in the case filed by it.

Besides, no charge-sheets were submitted in 56 cases filed over the BASIC Bank scam in the last 10 years.

Hallmark loan scam

Hallmark Group is the country’s second-largest money embezzler of Tk3606.48 crore from Sonali Bank. A total of 11 cases have so far been filed by the ACC in this regard. Its Chairman Jasmine Islam and Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud are in prison but 17 other accused are still on the run.

Destiny

On May 12, Dhaka Metropolitan Court sentenced a total of 46 accused including Destiny Group Managing Director Rafiqul Amin and Destiny-2000 president Lt Gen (retd) Harun-Ar-Rashid over Tk4119.24 crore money laundering and emblazonment cases.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Business Post that six sentenced accused are imprisoned over Destiny scam while the rest had escaped to different countries.

Bismillah Group

Bismillah Towels Group took a loan of Tk 1,200 crore from five banks and allegedly embezzled the amount with the help of bank officials between June 2011 and July 2012.

The High Court directed the authorities concerned to issue a red alert to arrest Bismillah Group managing director Khaza Soleiman Anower Chowdhury and his wife chairperson Nawrin Hasib in February 2020.

SB Punno Group

SB Punno Group embezzled Tk 238 crore from Bangladesh Commerce Bank (BCB) and laundered those money to Dubai and Singapore in the name of Terracotta Tile export. Shahjahan Bablu is chairman of SB Punno Group.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) found that Bangladesh Commerce Bank (BCB) officials purchased a total of 188 export bills amounting to Tk 238.74 crore without factory inspection or verifying the documents in favour of ‘Terracotta Tile’, which is non-existent.

Of this amount, Terracotta Tile returned only Tk 87 crore.

Silvia Group

Chattogram-based Silvia Group laundered Tk 215.19 crore to the UK, Singapore, Italy and Malta from bank loans.

Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), is a government agency responsible for investigating money laundering reports. It says Silvia Group embezzled thousand of crores of taka from different banks and laundered Tk 215.19 crore abroad. Silvia Group chairman Muzibur Rahman Milon got Singapore citizenship by investing this money there.