Papul’s Wife, Daughter: Probe forgery of BB document placed with bail petition

The High Court yesterday directed the Anti-Corruption Commission to inquire into forgery of a Bangladesh Bank document submitted with the bail petition of convicted lawmaker Mohammad Shahid Islam alias Kazi Papul's wife and daughter in a Tk 148.41 crore laundering case.

According to the forged document, a BB official said there might not be any money laundering on the part of Papul's wife Selina Islam and daughter Wafa Islam from their accounts of NRB Global Bank.

Yesterday, the HC asked the ACC to record statements of Selina, also a lawmaker, her daughter Wafa, their representative Hafez Ahmed and others concerned to find the people involved in the forgery and to submit a probe report to it within two months.

The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim came up with the order after hearing a suo moto rule issued earlier to this end.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star that it has been primarily found true that a forgery has been committed in connection with the BB document submitted with the bail petition of Papul's wife Selina and daughter Wafa in the money laundering case.

BB Deputy Director Md Arefin Ahsan Miah signed the paper, according to the forged document which apparently cleared Selina and her daughter Wafa of money laundering, he said.

The lawyer said in continuation of hearing the rule, the HC summoned the deputy director to appear before it and called for the record from the BB.

The deputy director appeared before the HC bench in line with the court order and told the court that the paper, in which his signature was seen, was tampered.

Central bank lawyer Khan Mohammad Shamim Aziz told the court that there is no similarity between BB's original document with the paper submitted along with the bail petition.

He also said an inquiry needs to be conducted to find the persons involved in this fraudulence.

Sayed Ahmed Raza, lawyer for accused petitioners Selina and Wafa, told the court that his clients were given the document from NRB Global Bank.

NRB Global Bank lawyer Motaher Hossain Sazu told the court that his client did not supply any document to the bail petitioners.

Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state during the hearing.

Selina and Wafa submitted the petition to the HC on November 26 last year, seeking bail in the money laundering case filed by the ACC.

A Kuwaiti court has sentenced Kazi Papul, an independent lawmaker from Laxmipur-2, to four years in jail in a bribery case.

Papul, who is in prison in Kuwait, is also an accused in two other cases filed on charges of human trafficking and money laundering.