MP Papul sued for laundering Tk 148cr

Lawmaker Mohammad Shahid Islam deposited Tk 148.41 crore in dirty money to different bank accounts of his sister-in-law Jesmin Prodhan to cover his tracks, finds the Anti-Corruption Commission.

The accused lawmaker, popularly known as alias Kazi Papul, his wife Selina Islam MP, and their daughter Wafa Islam have all transferred their ill-begotten money to Jesmin's account, said an ACC official.

The ACC yesterday filed a case against all four of them over the matter.

ACC Deputy Director Salahuddin also brought charges against the main accused, Jesmin, of illegally accumulating Tk 2.31 crore.

The allegations surfaced, after newspapers in Kuwait reported in February that Papul was running a human trafficking racket in the Middle Eastern country.

The reports said that the Bangladeshi lawmakers and their daughters occupied sensitive positions in three major companies that brought over 20,000 Bangladeshi workers to Kuwait in exchange for an amount believed to be more than Tk 1,391.6 crore.

Talking to reporters yesterday, ACC Commissioner Mozammel Haque Khan said enquiries were progressing and more cases would be filed over Papul and his family's illegal wealth.

If necessary, the investigation officer might take steps to detain the accused, he said, "If it is necessary to bring him [Papul] back to Bangladesh, we'll take measures according to the international law."

FINDINGS

According to the case filed yesterday, Jesmin's national identity card mentioned that she was born on August 20, 1995, but her passport said her date of birth was November 4, 1997.

She opened an e-TIN account on October 25, 2017, when she was a student,  but she had never submitted her income tax returns.

"It appears that she does not have an income," reads the first information report of the case.

Jesmin has 34 FDRs of Tk 2.31 crore with the NRB Commercial Bank and "during interrogation, she could not show any legal source of the money."

The anti-graft watchdog found that Jesmin opened a High Value Savings account with the City Bank on July 23, 2014. As of July 7, 2020, she deposited and withdrew about Tk 1.66 crore to and from that account.

Jesmin opened another savings account with the United Commercial Bank on June 02, 2012. Between 2012 and 2019, about Tk 10.34 crore was deposited and withdrawn.

She has another savings account with the UCBL corporate branch where she deposited about Tk 1.16 crore between October 2013 and June 2014. She withdrew about Tk 96.46 lakh from that account.

Jesmin also opened a current account for what she said was clothing store JW Leelabali with NRB Commercial Bank's Hatirpool Branch with Tk 20 lakh.

Between October 6, 2016 and August 20, 2019, different individuals and she herself deposited and withdrew about Tk 135.22 crore there, reads the FIR.

The ACC finds the money came from Papul and his wife who concealed the information about the money in their tax returns.

"Analysing the information, it is found that Jesmin used to work as the medium and JW Leelabali only existed on paper."

This correspondent, however, found JW Leelabali in the capital's Mirpur. The boutique shop sells wedding outfits.

Preferring to be unnamed, a staff of the store told this correspondent over the phone that Jesmin was the owner.

Papul was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department in Kuwait on June 6. He was sent to prison there.

According to Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai, Papul also admitted to paying large sums of money to high officials including a security official. He also revealed to interrogators that former and serving Kuwaiti lawmakers were involved in the racket.

The ACC on February 16, opened an enquiry into the illegal wealth of Papul and his family members.

On July 22, the ACC quizzed Jesmin and Selina. Selina then told reporters that she and her husband had no undisclosed or illegal wealth. "All documents have been given to the ACC… we'll give all out assistance to the ACC."

Jesmin was with her at the time.