Court Correspondent :
The Senior Special Judge’s Court of Dhaka on Wednesday framed charges against 51 persons, including Managing Director Rafiqul Amin, of the Destiny Group in two money laundering cases filed against them.
Rafiqul Amin and five others, now in jail, and Destiny 2000 President (retired) Lt General Harun-Ar-Rashid, who is on bail, pleaded not guilty and demanded justice after Judge Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah of the Court read out the charges to them.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the court rejected seven discharge petitions submitted on behalf of Amin, General Harun and five others. The court issued arrest warrants against Amin’s wife Farah Diba and 43 others as they are on the run. The court transferred the cases to the Special Judge Court-5 of Dhaka and fixed September 29 for trial.
On August 17, the High Court Division directed the lower court to decide on charge framing against Amin and others by August 24.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) pressed charges against 51 accused in the two cases on May 4, 2014. They were charged with
misappropriating funds of Destiny Tree Plantation (DTPL) project and Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited (DMCSL).
The group’s irregularities were known in early 2012 after the central bank found that it had been involved in illegal banking. Several newspapers ran news stories of massive irregularities in the group’s cooperative, tree plantation and multilevel marketing wings.
In July 2012, the ACC filed two cases against 22 Destiny officials on charges of laundering money. Top officials of Destiny allegedly misappropriated about Tk 4,200 crore through its tree plantation project and the cooperative firm and laundered that money abroad, the charge sheets say.
The officials embezzled the money in the name of paying salaries, honorarium, commission, incentives and promotional costs. They allegedly transferred the money to their personal bank accounts and 20 companies under the group.
They also embezzled Tk 2,433 crore from 17.5 lakh investors, claiming that they had sold 6.18 crore saplings under the tree plantation project. However, reportedly, the group planted only 32 lakh trees. The ACC findings are also similar.
The Senior Special Judge’s Court of Dhaka on Wednesday framed charges against 51 persons, including Managing Director Rafiqul Amin, of the Destiny Group in two money laundering cases filed against them.
Rafiqul Amin and five others, now in jail, and Destiny 2000 President (retired) Lt General Harun-Ar-Rashid, who is on bail, pleaded not guilty and demanded justice after Judge Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah of the Court read out the charges to them.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the court rejected seven discharge petitions submitted on behalf of Amin, General Harun and five others. The court issued arrest warrants against Amin’s wife Farah Diba and 43 others as they are on the run. The court transferred the cases to the Special Judge Court-5 of Dhaka and fixed September 29 for trial.
On August 17, the High Court Division directed the lower court to decide on charge framing against Amin and others by August 24.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) pressed charges against 51 accused in the two cases on May 4, 2014. They were charged with
misappropriating funds of Destiny Tree Plantation (DTPL) project and Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited (DMCSL).
The group’s irregularities were known in early 2012 after the central bank found that it had been involved in illegal banking. Several newspapers ran news stories of massive irregularities in the group’s cooperative, tree plantation and multilevel marketing wings.
In July 2012, the ACC filed two cases against 22 Destiny officials on charges of laundering money. Top officials of Destiny allegedly misappropriated about Tk 4,200 crore through its tree plantation project and the cooperative firm and laundered that money abroad, the charge sheets say.
The officials embezzled the money in the name of paying salaries, honorarium, commission, incentives and promotional costs. They allegedly transferred the money to their personal bank accounts and 20 companies under the group.
They also embezzled Tk 2,433 crore from 17.5 lakh investors, claiming that they had sold 6.18 crore saplings under the tree plantation project. However, reportedly, the group planted only 32 lakh trees. The ACC findings are also similar.
