Over 100 aided PK Halder in scams
Most of them bank officials, his close associate tells court
PK Halder's close associate Sukumar Mridha told a Dhaka court that over 100 people, mostly bankers, had helped Halder execute financial scams.
Those people included a former chairman and a managing director of two private banks.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit yesterday directed all banks to freeze for one more month the accounts of 64 people, including PK Halder, who was the managing director of NRB Global Bank.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ashek Imam recorded Sukumar's statement at his chamber after the latter was taken there on February 11 by Anti-Corruption Commission [ACC] Deputy Director Salahuddin, investigation officer of a money laundering case against PK Halder.
The magistrate sent Sukumar to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj after recording his statement, an ACC official told The Daily Star.
Sukumar, a lawyer who owns Sukumar & Associates, told the magistrate that he used to file tax returns for PK Halder and his family members.
"PK Halder established over 50 companies that existed only on papers. Owners of these companies were his relatives. He borrowed 100 crore Taka in the name of those non-existent companies," he said in the statement.
The ACC official said Sukumar bought over 4,000 decimals of land in Narayanganj's Rupganj, Bagerhat, Dhaka's Purbachal, and Pirojpur while PK Halder bought over 10,000 decimals of land in his village home of Pirojpur.
Sukumar built a two-story building on five katha of land at Ashoke Nagar in 24 Parganas of India for his daughter. He also laundered money in the name of those non-existent companies, according to the statement.
Sukumar's daughter Anindita Mridha, one of the directors of Wintel International, told a magistrate on February 11 that a total of Tk 80 crore was taken from FAS Finance and International Leasing in her name without her knowledge.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sadbir Yasir Ahsan Chowdhury recorded her statement.
She also claimed that her father took her signature on various documents at different times. But she did not know why he was doing that.
She was also sent to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.
ACC Deputy Director Salauddin questioned the duo at his office before arresting them on January 21.
Later, they were placed on a three-day remand each.
According to the remand petition, Sukumar and Anindita acquired assets by using aliases in collusion with PK Halder.
Sukumar and Anindita looked after PK Halder's illegal assets after he fled abroad. Sukumar also looked after several organisations linked to PK Halder, according to ACC officials.
Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), the state's anti-money laundering agency, asked all banks that the accounts of 64 persons, operated in their own name or in their interest should remain blocked for the next 30 days.
On August 12, 2020, the accounts of 83 people were frozen for the sake of investigation into a money laundering case. The accounts of 19 people were later dropped from this list.