Staff Reporter :
The Managing Director of the Raintree Hotel Shah Md Adnan Harun did not give the satisfactory reply during the quiz by the officials of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) in the city’s Kakrail on Tuesday.
Adnan Harun, along with his uncles Mujibul Hoque Kamal and Akbar Hossain Manju and a lawyer Jahangir Kabir, appeared at the CIID’s headquarters around 11:00am to face questions on the VAT dodging and presence of liquor in the hotel.
After quizzing, Moinul Khan, Director General of the CIID, said the Adnan Harun could not give satisfactory answers about liquor.
Adnan Harun, however, told reporters that he had paid the VAT dues while the finding of liquor might be the negligence of the hotel management.
Investigation is still underway in this regard. Moinul Khan said, the Customs Intelligence will recommend for suing The Raintree in three cases – VAT dodging, tax erosion and illegal liquor.
The hotel has come under the radar of Customs Intelligence, which found Tk eight lakh VAT evasion in April alone and keeping of 10 bottles of liquor without license.
The officials of the CIID had asked owner Adnan Harun to appear on May 17 for the explanation. Adnan sought time to appear before the customs intelligence citing reason that he was sick.
Under public outrage over allegations of siding with the rapists and trying to cover up the incident initially, the hotel authorities later demanded punishment to the rapists.
Raintree Hotel Managing Director Adnan Harun has appeared before the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Division (CIID) to explain the stock of ‘unlicensed alcohol’ found during a raid.
Though Adnan had challenged the CIID’s summons and was granted a stay by the High Court, the stay was later scrapped by the Supreme Court’s Chamber Judge.
Adnan will be called to explain why the Raintree Hotel had a stock of alcohol as it had no license and to answer allegations on VAT and import duty evasion.
The four star Raintree Hotel in Dhaka’s Banani has come under scrutiny since two university students filed a case on May 6, alleging they had been raped in one of the hotel’s rooms on Mar 28. Safat Ahmed, the son of Apan Jewellers co-owner Dildar Ahmed, two of his friends, his driver and his bodyguard were accused in the case.
The CIID conducted a raid on the Raintree Hotel on May 15 and confiscated several bottles of alcohol in the aftermath of the rape case.
Adnan was originally summoned to appear in the CIID offices on May 17, but he sent a legal representative asking for more time due to his ‘illness’. He received an extension on the summons until May 23.
Earlier, the Raintree Hotel was raided at the same time. The Customs detectives had then seized 10 bottles of imported alcohol and hotel documents.
The four-star hotel had failed to produce a bar licence, detectives said. The Raintree Hotel was also accused of dodging VAT amounting to Tk 815,000.
Meanwhile, customs officials seized a Mercedes car of Dildar Ahmed, owner of Apan Jewellers, from Jindabazar area of Sylhet on Tuesday morning.
The car was seized from the house of Dildar’s maternal uncle in Sylhet in said Moinul Khan, the DG of the CIID.
“Acting on tip off, the luxury vehicle, worth TK 1.5 crore, was seized around 11:00 am, the DG said.
According to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) registration information, the car was manufactured in 2011. However, primary investigation suggests that the car was actually manufactured in 2002, he said
“If we find any discrepancy between the registration papers and other papers of the vehicle, then we will investigative in this regard,” he added.
On the other hand, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday summoned the Raintree Hotel’s MD Adnan Harun, its General Manager Frank Forguet, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Gulshan Division) Mostak Ahmed, Banani Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) BM Forman Ali.
They were asked to present in the NHRC Headquarters on May 25 to explain their role in connection with the Banani Hotel rape incident.
Earlier, a five-member committee was formed to inquire and submit the report within 15 days, said Kazi Riazul Haque, Chairman of the NHRC.
The Managing Director of the Raintree Hotel Shah Md Adnan Harun did not give the satisfactory reply during the quiz by the officials of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) in the city’s Kakrail on Tuesday.
Adnan Harun, along with his uncles Mujibul Hoque Kamal and Akbar Hossain Manju and a lawyer Jahangir Kabir, appeared at the CIID’s headquarters around 11:00am to face questions on the VAT dodging and presence of liquor in the hotel.
After quizzing, Moinul Khan, Director General of the CIID, said the Adnan Harun could not give satisfactory answers about liquor.
Adnan Harun, however, told reporters that he had paid the VAT dues while the finding of liquor might be the negligence of the hotel management.
Investigation is still underway in this regard. Moinul Khan said, the Customs Intelligence will recommend for suing The Raintree in three cases – VAT dodging, tax erosion and illegal liquor.
The hotel has come under the radar of Customs Intelligence, which found Tk eight lakh VAT evasion in April alone and keeping of 10 bottles of liquor without license.
The officials of the CIID had asked owner Adnan Harun to appear on May 17 for the explanation. Adnan sought time to appear before the customs intelligence citing reason that he was sick.
Under public outrage over allegations of siding with the rapists and trying to cover up the incident initially, the hotel authorities later demanded punishment to the rapists.
Raintree Hotel Managing Director Adnan Harun has appeared before the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Division (CIID) to explain the stock of ‘unlicensed alcohol’ found during a raid.
Though Adnan had challenged the CIID’s summons and was granted a stay by the High Court, the stay was later scrapped by the Supreme Court’s Chamber Judge.
Adnan will be called to explain why the Raintree Hotel had a stock of alcohol as it had no license and to answer allegations on VAT and import duty evasion.
The four star Raintree Hotel in Dhaka’s Banani has come under scrutiny since two university students filed a case on May 6, alleging they had been raped in one of the hotel’s rooms on Mar 28. Safat Ahmed, the son of Apan Jewellers co-owner Dildar Ahmed, two of his friends, his driver and his bodyguard were accused in the case.
The CIID conducted a raid on the Raintree Hotel on May 15 and confiscated several bottles of alcohol in the aftermath of the rape case.
Adnan was originally summoned to appear in the CIID offices on May 17, but he sent a legal representative asking for more time due to his ‘illness’. He received an extension on the summons until May 23.
Earlier, the Raintree Hotel was raided at the same time. The Customs detectives had then seized 10 bottles of imported alcohol and hotel documents.
The four-star hotel had failed to produce a bar licence, detectives said. The Raintree Hotel was also accused of dodging VAT amounting to Tk 815,000.
Meanwhile, customs officials seized a Mercedes car of Dildar Ahmed, owner of Apan Jewellers, from Jindabazar area of Sylhet on Tuesday morning.
The car was seized from the house of Dildar’s maternal uncle in Sylhet in said Moinul Khan, the DG of the CIID.
“Acting on tip off, the luxury vehicle, worth TK 1.5 crore, was seized around 11:00 am, the DG said.
According to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) registration information, the car was manufactured in 2011. However, primary investigation suggests that the car was actually manufactured in 2002, he said
“If we find any discrepancy between the registration papers and other papers of the vehicle, then we will investigative in this regard,” he added.
On the other hand, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday summoned the Raintree Hotel’s MD Adnan Harun, its General Manager Frank Forguet, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Gulshan Division) Mostak Ahmed, Banani Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) BM Forman Ali.
They were asked to present in the NHRC Headquarters on May 25 to explain their role in connection with the Banani Hotel rape incident.
Earlier, a five-member committee was formed to inquire and submit the report within 15 days, said Kazi Riazul Haque, Chairman of the NHRC.
