PK Halder’s associate Shuvra arrested, 4 more cases filed
The ACC, on Monday, filed four more cases against Halder for fraud
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has arrested Shuvra Rani Ghosh, an associate of International Leasing and Financial Services Limited's former managing director Prashanta Kumar Halder who fled the country after allegedly siphoning off several crores of taka abroad.
A team led by ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan made the arrest at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport early on Monday morning upon her return from the United States on a Qatar Airways flight.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court placed her on a five-day remand for interrogation.
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The corruption watchdog, on Sunday, filed a case against Halder on charges of helping a company named Okayama Limited, that exists only on paper, to receive a loan of Tk87.6 crore from ILFSL.
Meanwhile, the ACC, on Monday, filed four more cases against Halder for fraud. With this, the graft-watchdog has so far filed 10 cases in this regard.
The four cases involve embezzlement of Tk60 crore in the name of Kolasin Limited, Tk68.50 crore in the name of Witel International Limited, Tk60 crore in the name of Neutrikel Limited, and Tk60 crore in the name of Drinan Apparel Limited.
PK Halder is accused in all the cases.
Others accused include Drinan Apparels Managing Director Mohammad Abu Rajib Maruf, Chairman Kazi Mumrez Mahmud as well as Witel International directors Sukumar Saha and Anindita Saha.
ILFSL directors Papia Banerjee, M Nurul Alam, Md Nowsher-ul Islam, Basudeb Banerjee, Nuruzzaman, MA Hashem, Mohammad Abul Hashem, and Zahirul Alam are also accused.
According to the ACC, a total of 67 people have been made accused in 10 cases filed on Sunday and Monday. Most of them are accused in almost every case.
Earlier, on 25 January, the ACC filed a case against PK Halder and 31 of his associates for embezzling Tk350 crore from five companies.
Former People's Leasing chairman Ujjwal Kumar Nandi and former ILFSL managing director Rashedul Haque have been arrested in the cases.
A team led by ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan is investigating the fraud case of PK Halder.
On 8 January last year, the ACC filed another case against PK Halder for allegedly acquiring illegal assets worth around Tk275 crore. While investigating the case, ACC Deputy Director Mohammad Salahuddin arrested PK Halder's: cousin Shankha Bepari, close associate Anindita Baral, tax lawyer Sukumar Mridha, and his tax lawyer's daughter Anindita Mridha.
On 25 February, the ACC team recovered hundreds of documents of plots, flats and houses from a secret warehouse of Halder. The initially-identified assets account for 7,080 decimals of land and its market value is at least Tk1,000 crore. The assets were seized following a court order.
PK Halder, who is abroad, applied to the current managing director of ILFSL on 28 June last year to take measures for his return to the country.
Although the court allowed it, PK Halder did not return and an arrest warrant was issued against him through Interpol. The Dhaka Special Judge's Court had earlier ordered the seizure of all of PK Halder's immovable property.
