The move to bring money launderers to book is not making any headway as the Anti-Corruption Commission and different government agencies have failed to submit information on the offenders, their huge sums of money in overseas banks, and properties purchased abroad before the High Court despite its orders to do so. The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed Sohel has been holding hearings on a suo motu rule and a writ petition in this regard for over a year but it could not pass any order for prosecuting the money launderers.
A Media report on Thursday said the HC Bench also ordered the ACC and the government authorities concerned to submit details, including names and addresses of money launderers, to the court by December 17, 2020. During the hearing on the petition, the Bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim on February 28 last year also asked the ACC and concerned authorities to give detail report to it by March 30 last year. On December 5 last year, however, the ACC submitted a “compliance report”, containing only the names of 43 people reportedly published in the papers in 2016 and 2017 but gave no details. Irked by the graft watchdog’s inaction, the HC Bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice AKM Zahirul Huq the next day blasted the ACC for its failure to provide the court with any finding of its own.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has submitted a report to the HC Bench containing names of 69 Bangladeshis and organisations disclosed in Panama Papers and Paradise Papers as money launderers. The agency’s report also details where the launderers bought or invested in flats and houses outside the country. Although this information was sent to the ACC, Bangladesh Police, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Central Bank, hardly any investigation was done and action taken. This is how the launderers are encouraged.
Country’s two top money launderers who have caused a stir recently are Shahid Islam, a former MP from Lakshmipur-2 Constituency and PK Haldar, former managing director of People’s Leasing. A Kuwaiti court has sentenced Shahid to four years in prison for human trafficking and money laundering. PK Haldar laundered Tk 3,500 crore abroad. But the government could not even touch him. The question is does the government really want to prevent money laundering? Unfortunately, we do not see any such step on the part of the government as yet.
