HC slaps travel ban on Wahidul, Abu Hena
The High Court yesterday issued a travel ban on M Wahidul Haque, former chairman of AB Bank, and Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal, the bank's former head of financial institutions and treasury, over money laundering charges.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on January 25 arrested Wahidul, Abu Hena and businessman Saiful Haque -- three of the eight accused -- in connection with a case the ACC had filed over laundering of around Tk 165 crore between 2013 and 2014.
The HC in its directive asked the ACC to take necessary steps so Wahidul and Abu Hena cannot leave the country.
The HC issued a suo moto (voluntary) rule asking the government, Wahidul and Abu Hena to explain in two weeks why the bail granted by a Dhaka court on January 25 to them [Wahidul and Abu Hena] in the money laundering case should not be cancelled.
It also directed the chief metropolitan magistrate of Dhaka to send the records of the case and the bail order to the same court of the HC immediately through a special messenger.
The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Shahidul Karim also fixed February 14 for the passing of further order on the issue.
ACC lawyer Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that the judges issued the order and rule following a report published in daily Jugantor recently regarding Wahidul and Abu Hena's bail granted by the lower court.
The ACC filed the money laundering case with Motijheel Police Station accusing eight, including the three arrested, at Segunbagicha in the capital.
After they were produced before a court, it granted bail to Wahidul and Mostafa, but sent Saiful on a three-day remand.
The other accused in the case are M Fazlur Rahman and Shamim Ahmed Chaudhury, ex-managing directors of AB Bank; Mohammad Lokman, the bank's head of offshore banking unit; Mohammad Mahuz Ul Islam, its vice president of corporate treasury department, and Nurul Azim, its senior vice president.
This newspaper, based on an investigation report prepared by the Bangladesh Bank, published a news item on December 17 about the amount of money allegedly laundered from AB Bank to the UAE.
According to the case statement, businessman “Saiful introduced his friends and members of international fraud syndicate Khurram Abdullah and Abdus Samad Khan to Wahidul [former AB Bank chairman] to launder money from AB Bank.”
Saiful, chairman of Sky Aviation Services that is the general sales agent of Fly Dubai, is believed to be one of the kingpins of the laundering syndicate.
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