ACC to enquire BD gamblers in S’pore casinos

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Staff Reporter :
The Anti-Corruption Commission has opened an investigation into the wealth of Bangladeshis who played casinos in Singapore in the last five years.
The national anti-graft agency wrote to its Singapore equivalent — the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) — seeking its cooperation to find out the truth, said ACC Director General (Money Laundering) Abdun Nur Muhammad Al Firoz.
The graftbusters informed the CPIB that it had opened an investigation against individuals who illegaly acquired wealth and laundered money abroad on various occasions in line with the government’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy in the matter.
Highlighting the information derived from probes against money launderers, the ACC said that a few corrupt Bangladeshis had transferred their money to Singapore and other countries around the world.
“They have given confessional statements about laundering crores of money to Singapore and gambling it away in casinos there.” Noting that Singaporean casinos require foreigners to submit their passports before entry, the ACC requested a full list of Bangladeshis who enjoyed gambling facilities in Marina Bay and other places in the South-East Asian country over the last five years for the purpose of its investigation.
The ACC emphasised that being signatories to the UN Convention Against Corruption, Singapore and Bangladesh can cooperate closely with one another to fight corruption.
The government recently launched a crackdown on corruption and other misdeeds which brought a number of Jubo League and mid-level Awami League leaders to the fore for their involvement in the illegal casino business.
The ACC subsequently began looking into the wealth accumulated by those arrested in the drive.
In keeping with the initiative, it imposed overseas travel bans on 34 individuals, including three lawmakers, until Thursday.
The anti-graft watchdog also initiated cases against 11 people, including expelled Jubo League leader Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan and controversial contractor GK Shamim on the charge of involving in corruption and ‘illegal wealth’.
A five-strong panel headed by ACC Director Syed Iqbal Hossain has also opened a probe against 60 people for corruption.

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