Staff Reporter :
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Sunday arrested former NRB Global Bank Managing Director Prashanta Kumar Halder’s two more accomplices in connection with a corruption case.
The two accused are People’s Leasing & Financial Services Ltd Chairman Uzzal Kumar Nandi and International Leasing and Financial Services Limited (ILFSL) former Managing Director Rashedul Haque.
ACC Secretary Dr Muhammad Anwar Hossain Hawlader confirmed reporters in a press briefing. “A team led by ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan arrested them. They have been kept in the custody of Ramna Model police station and will be produced in the court on Monday morning,” he said.
ACC sources said, Nandi and Rashedul were closely related with PK Halder since 2010 as Rashedul was DMD of Reliance Finance while Halder was MD. Moreover, in 2015 when PK Halder became MD of NRB Global Bank and he appointed Rashedul in International Leasing as MD.
On the other hand, in 2013 Nandi took responsibility of FAS Finance and later People’s Leasing as Chairman as per PK Halder’s will.
PK Halder went into hiding after allegedly embezzling a huge amount of money from various financial institutions.
Even though he wanted to return to the country, on the condition of returning the money, he did not return saying he was ill after the HC ordered his arrest.
Sources say he is living a lavish life in Begum Para, Canada. According to an ongoing ACC investigation, he embezzled at least Tk11,000 crore from different organisations and financial institutions. According to ACC sources, the amount of embezzled money may increase as the investigation progresses.
Among the institutions, he and his accomplices allegedly misappropriated about Tk3,500 crore from ILFSL, Tk2,200 crore from FAS Finance, Tk2,500 crore from Reliance Finance, and Tk3,000 crore from People’s Leasing.
PK Halder also siphoned off Tk1,000 crore to Canada, Singapore and India, the ACC investigation revealed.
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) issued a red notice against PK Halder on January 8, following a request from Bangladesh Police. The move came after the High Court on November 19, 2020 asked the government and the ACC what steps were being taken to bring him back to Bangladesh.
On January 14, the ACC froze Tk1,057 crore from the accounts of 62 associates of PK Halder on charges of them being involved in his money laundering scams.
Earlier, the ACC also arrested four people-Sukumar Mridha, his daughter Anindita Mridha, Abontika Boral and Shankha Bepari in connection with the PK Halder’s corruption.
