Gulam Rabbani :
The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has listed names of 69 individuals and entities who came into the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers leak as money launderers.
Among the 69 names, 43 individuals and entities were found in the Panama Papers and 26 other individuals and entities were found in the Paradise Papers, according to a report submitted in the High Court on Wednesday.
The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit has received response from the Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) of different other countries about only 10 individuals and entities among the 69.
On the basis of the intelligence from foreign FIUs, BFIU prepared intelligence reports and forwarded it to the concerned law enforcement agencies for further legal actions, also read the report submitted by the BFIU.
The 10 individuals or entities are Faisal Ahmed Chowdhury, Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury, Salma Haque, FM Zobaidul Haque, Sharif Zahir, Dilip Kumar Modi and his family, Md Aminul Islam, Nazim Asadul Haque, Tariq Ekramul Haque and Abdul Awal Mintu and his family.
Faisal Ahmed has bank account in Thailand, Mahtab Uddin does financial transaction in Australia, primary information of staying in Australia was found about Salma Haque, Zobaidul Haque maintain financial transaction in Australia, Sharif Zahir has bank account in Malaysia, Dilip Kumar has account in Nepal and money laundering allegation found against Aminul Islam, Nazim Asadul and Tariq Ekramul.
Abdul Awal Mintu’s two sons Tazwar Md Awal and Tafsir Awal run a company in Singapore named ‘NFM Energy Singapore PTE Limited’. Both bothers are American citizens and they have bank accounts there where suspicious transaction information has been found.
On the Basis of media reports BFIU compiled a list of 43 Bangladeshi individuals or entities published in Panama Papers and another list of 26 Bangladeshi individuals or entities published in Paradise Papers, according to the BFIU report.
BFIU analyzed the issue of possible money laundering by the individuals or entities mentioned in the two leaked papers. For this purpose BFIU requested information on the individuals or entities to the Financial Intelligence Units of concerned countries and got response about 10 individuals or entities.
Following a writ petition the High Court Bench headed by Md Nazrul Islam Talukder on February 28 last year wanted to know the names of the Bangladeshi nationals who have deposited money in the banks of Switzerland (Swiss banks) and what steps have been taken to bring back that money and issued rule.
It also asked the respondents to explain as to why a direction should not be given to initiate immediate probe on upon Bangladeshi companies and citizens disclosed in the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers leak and to submit compliance report of the progress before the court in every month.
In response to the order the Anti-Corruption Commission on December 5 in 2021 submitted a report in the court. In the report the ACC listed 29 individuals and entities whose names came into the Paradise Papers and 14 other individuals and entities whose names came into the Panama Papers as money launderers.
Upon hearing the ACC report the court on December 6, last directed the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Police to submit separate reports in the court over their steps taken against the persons whose names came into the Paradise Papers and Panama Papers leak as money launderers.
Complying with the court order passed on December 6 the BFIU through its Joint Director Khandakar Ashif Rabbani sent the report to the attorney general office. Deputy attorney general AKM Amin Uddin submitted it to the court as affidavit. The deputy attorney general said the High Court may hear the matter on next Sunday.
Paradise papers named individuals are Abdul Awal Mintu, Nasreen Fatema Awal, Tabith Awal, Tafsir Awal, Tazwar Md Awal, Moghol Farida, Shahid Ullah, Faisal Chowdhury, Samir Ahma , Brother and partners asset management Bangladesh ltd.
The list also included the names of Seven Seas Assets Limited, Soen Investment Limited, Unicol Bangladesh Limited, Unicol Bangladesh Exploration Limited, Unicol Shahbazpur Power Limited, Unicol Shahbazpur Pipeline Limited, NFM Energy (Singapore) PTE Limited, Unicol Bangladesh Block Seven Limited, Unicol Shahbazpur Limited and Unicol Bangladesh Block Five Limited.
It also included the names of Unicol Bangladesh Block Ten Limited, Barlington Resources Bangladesh Limited, Unicol Bangladesh Blocks thirteen and Fourteen Limited, Unicol Bangaldesh Block Twelve Limited, Frontier Bangladesh (Barmuda) Limited, Tera Bangladesh Fund Limited.
Panama papers named individuals are Begum Nilufar Kazi, Zafrullah Kazi, Kazi Raihan Zafar, Capt Sohail Hossain, Iftekharul Alam, Md Aminul Haque, Nazim Asadul Haque, Tariq Ekramul Haque, ASM Mohiuddin Monem, Asma Monem, Dr AMM Khan, Ajmat Moin.
The list also included the names of Dilip Kumar Modi, Sharif Zahir, Aziz Khan, Anjuman Aziz Khan, Aysha Aziz Khan, Zafar Umayed Khan, Faisal karim Khan, Dr Syed Sirajul Haque, Hasan Mahmud Raza, Khandakar Moinul Ahsan Shamim, Ahmed Ismail Hossain, Akther Mahmud, FM Zobaidul Haque, Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury, Umme Rabbana, Samsan H Chowdhury, BBTL, Capt MA Jalil, FM Zobaidul Haque, Salma Haque, Khawa Shahadat Ullah, Mirza M Yahiya.
It also included the names of Syeda Samina Mirza, Md Aminul Haque, Tariq Ekramul Haque, Md Zahidul Islam, Md Shahid Masud, Md Faisal Karim, Nazrul Islam, Syed Sirajul Haque and Zulfiqer Haider.
