Koko charged with money laundering

The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday pressed money-laundering charges against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's younger son Arafat Rahman Koko, around eight months after filing of the case.
It charged Koko and Ismail Hossain Simon, son of former shipping minister late Akbar Hossain, with siphoning 28.84 lakh Singaporean dollars and 9.32 lakh US dollars out of the country.
ACC Deputy Director Mohammad Abu Sayeed, also investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Dhaka in the afternoon.
He showed 23 people as prosecution witnesses.
Simon, whose name was not in the first information report, was included as a charge-sheeted accused, as investigation found his involvement in money laundering.
The IO pleaded with the court to issue a warrant for his arrest and orders for attachment of his property.
Simon has been on the run since filing of the case, while Koko has been abroad for treatment on parole.
It was the first investigation to have been conducted by ACC teamed up with any overseas authorities.
During the course of the probe, the graft watchdog obtained many an essential document from Singapore following a legal assistance request under the UN Convention against Corruption during the last caretaker government rule.
The Attorney General's Office too played a vital role in this regard.
ACC filed the case with Kafrul Police Station on March 17. It said Koko had laundered huge sums he received from a Chinese company, Siemens and some other sources in return for helping them win lucrative government contracts.
In the complaint, the anti-graft body detailed his alleged underhand dealings with China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd over a Tk 351-crore contract for setting up New Mooring Container Terminal and with Siemens over a Tk 239-crore contract for supplying and installing equipment for the state-owned Teletalk mobile phone operator.
Besides, he took money from a few other individuals.
So far ACC has detected five Singapore bank accounts where Koko stashed his dough.
Of the accounts, four are with the United Overseas Bank and the other with the CIC Bank.
IO Abu Sayeed said Koko had used his clout as the son of the then prime minister to earn the ill-money between 2001 and 2006.
The allegation that he sent abroad S$28,84,603.15 and US$9,32,672.81 to conceal his illegal sources of income has been primarily proved, reads the five-page FIR.
“This is a punishable offence under section 4(2) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2009,” it continues.
In his income tax returns and wealth statement to the anti-graft commission, Koko did not mention the transactions involving his accounts with the Singapore banks.
Besides, the FIR says, he did not have any business relations with the sources of this illegal money. These sources--business organisations and individuals--seem to have given him financial benefits to secure legal or illegal business interests.
Koko had S$2.58 million from China Harbour in three instalments on May 6, May 31 and August 1 of 2005.
He received another S$3.03 lakh from German company Siemens on October 6 the same year.
He had deposited S$2.8 million in the United Overseas Bank account (No.1093101397). He and local businessman Lim Seu Chang jointly own the account holder, ZASZ Trading and Consulting Pte Ltd of 9 Changy South Street in Singapore.
On November 16, 2007, Koko deposited US$9.32 lakh in another account with the bank. Opened for Fairhill Consulting Private Ltd, a firm owned by Koko, the account's number is 352015542-0.
ACC however is not clear how he had the amount or who gave him the money for what purpose.
The ACC investigation found more of Koko's accounts with the United Overseas Bank where a Dubai-based person named Habibur Rahman had deposited an amount for him.
It also gathered that Koko used to withdraw and deposit money from his United Overseas Bank accounts by cheque.
He gave S$8.30 lakh to Simon, who was present during some of the dealings.
Koko also stands accused in four more cases--three on graft charges and one on extortion.
He went to Bangkok for treatment on July 19 last year after getting out on parole.
He was arrested on September 2, 2007, along with his mother Khaleda from their cantonment residence.
Meanwhile, the government has extended by a month the ad interim bail to Koko, reports ATN Bangla.