JP lawmakers slam govt over money laundering

Opposition Jatiya Party yesterday lawmakers criticised the government over corruption in the financial sector.

While taking part in the discussion on thanksgiving motion on the president's speech, they demanded exemplary punishment of PK Halder after bringing him back to the country.

Pir Fazlur Rahman said female friends of PK Halder are living a good life while people who have deposited their money to financial organisations are living "in hell".

"Arresting PK Haldar alone will not be enough. People who were helping PK Halder, who were higher ups, should get punishment," he said.

Halder is facing a graft case for illegally amassing wealth, and has allegedly laundered over Tk 10,200 crore from four non-banking financial institutions to abroad.

Using 30 organisations owned by himself and his associates, Halder misappropriated massive amount in loans from the NBFIs and laundered the money to Canada, Singapore and India, according to ACC sources.

They said Halder, who is now in Canada, embezzled Tk 2,500 crore from International Leasing and Financial Services Limited (ILFSL), Tk 2,200 crore from FAS Finance, Tk 3,000 crore from Peoples' Leasing and Tk 2,500 crore from Reliance Finance."We should also look into which government officials are laundering money abroad," Fazlur added.

Rowshan Ara Mannan, another Jatiya Party MP,  said PK Haldar should be brought back into country using Interpol, and given exemplary punishment.

"If PK Haldar is not punished, this will remain as an example and many will follow his path and will launder money abroad, and take refuge in a foreign country," she said. "This has to be stopped".

She also said Hall-Mark Group General Manager Tushar Ahmed was seen spending time with a woman inside the prison. "It seems he [Tushar Ahmed] was attending a wedding ceremony. He had made the arrangement of meeting with a woman by giving money to officials."

"There should be punishment for all these," she said.

Bangladesh Bank unearthed over Tk 3,500 crore loan scam in Sonali Bank's Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch in May 2012. Of the sum, Hall-Mark alone took Tk 2,686 crore using forged documents in connivance with some bank officials.

Referring to incidents of PK Halder and Tushar, Rowshan said all these are bank money, and they are spending it for their female friends.

Quoting media reports, another Jatiya Party MP Fakhrul Imam said corruption is in a number of sectors. "I want to know who are these looters, are they are in any party," he said.