Pk Halder’s Scam: 2 fake firms, Tk 118 crore shady loans
In a rented flat in the capital's Banani, Subrata Das, a friend of Proshanta Kumar Halder alias PK Halder, set up offices of two shell companies -- Wakama Limited and A&B Trading.
With the help of his friend, Subrata then took Tk 31 crore loan from FAS Finance in the name of A&B Trading and Tk 87 crore from International Leasing and Financial Services (ILFS) Ltd for Wakama Limited.
The Anti-Corruption Commission already filed a case against Subrata, who is now in the US, his wife Shuvra Rani Ghosh, former managing director of NRB Global Bank PK Halder and three others.
In connection with the case, a four-member team, led by ACC's Deputy Director Gulshan Anowar Prodhan, interrogated Shuvra, director of both the shell companies, for about five days last week.
Later, Shuvra confessed to a Dhaka magistrate that she took a loan of about Tk 87 crore for Wakama Ltd with fake documents.
She also told the investigation officer that she withdrew several crores and handed it over to her husband Subrata who later gave it to PK Halder.
"Since both companies are closed and there is no mortgage against the loan, it is not possible for them to repay the loan," she said.
ACC found that PK Halder was the mastermind behind the embezzlement of huge amounts of money from non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs).
On Thursday, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shahidul Islam recorded Shuvra's statement.
In her confessional statement, she said PK Halder assisted her husband in taking the loan without any collateral.
After recording the statement, the magistrate sent Shuvra to Kashimpur High Security Women's Jail in Gazipur.
The enquiry over A&B Trading is now going on.
Shuvra was arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by the immigration police on March 22. On that day, she was placed on a five-day remand after being produced before a Dhaka court.
On March 21, the ACC filed a case against Shuvra on charge of embezzling Tk 87.6 crore from ILFS Ltd.
Meanwhile, another accused Nahida Runai, former head of business of ILFS Ltd, gave a detailed description of how PK Halder took ILFS Ltd in his grip.
Nahida joined as an officer of Industrial and Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IIDFC) Limited's Chattogram branch in 2008 when PK Halder was its deputy managing director.
PK Halder later joined Reliance Finance as its managing director in 2009. Nahida also joined Reliance in December 2010 as assistant manager of loan division.
In 2011, Rashedul Haque, who is also accused in the case, joined as senior vice-president of Reliance Finance. Rashedul later joined ILFS Ltd as its managing director in June 2015.
Nahida, upon the directives of PK Halder, joined ILFS Ltd as its head of business in July 2015.
The accused said she accompanied PK Halder abroad at least on 20 occasions.
"Upon his [PK Halder] directives, Rashedul approved and disbursed loans without any collateral to different persons and organisations," sources said, quoting Nahida.
"A borrower of ILFS Ltd and close aide of PK Halder, Swapan Kumar Mistri gave Nahida around Tk 15 crore for doing business," sources said.
She invested the money in the stock market.
The commission has so far arrested 11 people, including Shuvra, in connection with PK Halder cases. Of the arrestees, eight have already confessed to their involvement in the cases.
PK Halder took loans from financial institutions against at least two dozen non-existent companies created by him. In some cases, he used part of the funds to repay instalments of loans taken against his several fictitious firms.
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