Money laundering: SC stays travel ban on ILFSL chairman

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court today stayed for eight weeks a High Court order that issued a travel ban on Md Nazrul Islam Khan, chairman of International Leasing and Financial Services Limited (ILFSL), a non-banking financial institution, in connection with a money laundering case filed against Proshanta Kumar Halder alias PK Halder.

Nazrul Islam Khan, also known as NI Khan, is one of the alleged accomplices of PK Halder, who is facing a corruption case for allegedly amassing wealth illegally and laundering over Tk 10,000 crore from four non-banking financial institutions abroad.

The Anti-Corruption Commission on January 8 last year filed a case against PK Halder on charges of illegally amassing wealth worth Tk 275 crore.

Today, chamber judge of the Appellate Division Md Nuruzzaman passed the stay order following a petition filed by NI Khan seeking stay on the HC order.

Lawyer Mehedi Hasan Chowdhury appeared for NI Khan during virtual hearing on the stay petition.

Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik told The Daily Star that there is no legal bar for NI Khan to go abroad following the stay order issued by the apex court chamber judge.  

On January 5 this year, the HC issued a travel ban against 25 alleged accomplices of PK Halder, including his mother Lilaboti Halder, so that the ACC can question them about money laundering allegations.

The 24 other alleged accomplices are: SK Sur, Harunur Rashid, Uzzal Kumar Nandi, Shami Huda, Amitavh Adhikary, Abontika Boral, Shamima, Runai, NI Khan, Sukumar Mridha, Anindita Mridha, Tapan Dey, Swapan Kumar Mistri, Avijit Chowdhury, Rajib Shom, Erfan Uddin Ahmed, Angan Mohan Roy, Nongo Chow Mong, Nizamul Ahsan, Manik Lal Somaddar, Sohel Shams, Mahbub Musa, AQ Siddique and Moazzem Hossain.