UNB, Dhaka :
The Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation has uncovered money laundering scam involving 10 RMG companies of the country who smuggled abroad Tk 300 crore under guise of garments exports.
Joint Director of Customs Intelligence Shamsul Arefin Khan confirmed this information on Monday.
He said the exporters took away Tk300 crore to the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, France, Canada, Russia, Slovenia, Panama in the name of exporting ready-made garments.
At the same time, the organisation has also identified 10 establishments involved in capital flight from Bangladesh. The companies are Pragya Fashion Limited, Fashion Trade, MDS Fashion, Hong Kong Fashions Limited, Three-Star Trading, Fortune Fashion, Anupam Fashion Wear Limited, Pixie Knit Wears Limited, Stylize BD Limited and Eden Style Tex.
He said that C&F agents and exporters have smuggled out around Tk300 crore in mutual connivance. Due to the non-functionality of EXP there is no scope for repatriation of foreign currency to the country in a legal manner.
That is, the crime related to money laundering has been organized. The process of taking appropriate legal action against the 10 exporters is ongoing, said Arefin
He also said that before this, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Department had discovered the case of smuggling of Tk 379 crore through 4 institutions in the same way. Criminal cases, including money laundering probes, have been filed against the institutions. Customs detectives uncovered a total of 679 crore of smuggling.
According to the Customs Intelligence, the Directorate received a complaint that goods are being exported abroad through Chittagong port with fraudulent documents, but the foreign exchange is not being repatriated.
The exporters have forged the bill of export and exported goods using Bangladesh Bank’s Export Monitoring System (EXP) of other exporters. On the contrary, no money has returned to the country or the money has been smuggled abroad for the entire export value, the intelligence said.
