Corruption, money laundering: PK Halder jailed for 22 years
Staff Reporter :
A Dhaka court on Sunday sentenced former Managing Director of NRB Global Bank Proshanta Kumar Halder, popularly known as PK Halder, to 22 years of imprisonment in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on charge of amassing wealth beyond known sources of income and money laundering.
PK Halder was jailed for 10 years under Section 47(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act, 2004 for illegally amassing money and 12 years under Section 4(2) of the Money Laundering Protirodh Act, 2012 for laundering money.
He was also fined Tk 10.44 billion. The sentences of the offences shall run consecutively, said the court.
Judge of the Special Judge’s Court-10 in Dhaka, Mohammad Nazrul Islam, delivered the verdict after concluding the case proceedings.
Thirteen others were sentenced seven years in prison under the two sections of the concerned laws in the case. Of the total jail sentence, three and four years of imprisonments have been given for abetting PK Halder in amassing and laundering money respectively. Their jail sentences will run concurrently.
The 13 other convicts are— PK Halder’s mother Lilabati Halder, his brother Pritish Kumar Halder, and his associates Purnima Rani Halder, Amitabh Adhikari, Rajib Som, Subrata Das, Ananga Mohon Roy, Uttam Kumar Mistry, Swapan Kumar Mistry, Sukumar Mridha, a lawyer of PK Halder, Sukumar’s daughter Anindita Mridha, Abantika Baral and Shankha Bepari.
Shankha Bepari, Sukumar Mridha, Sukumar’s daughter Anindita Mridha and Abantika Baral were present in the court during the announcement of the verdict.
Rest of the accused, including PK Halder, are absconding.
The punishment of nine fugitive convicts will be effective from the day of their arrest or surrender, said the judge in his judgment.
PK Halder, the prime accused in the case, was arrested in Ashoknagar, India on May 14 last year on charges of money laundering.
This verdict is the first instance of a Dhaka court convicting PK Halder, who stands accused in over 40 other graft and money laundering cases.
Anti-Corruption Commission lawyer Mir Ahmed Ali Salam said, “The court convicted PK Halder in two charges brought against him and sentenced him to 22 years’ imprisonment.
Apart from this, the court also sentenced 13 others to seven years’ imprisonment on the same charges.”
Earlier, the prosecution completed their arguments and sought the highest punishment for PK Halder and 13 others in the case. The court earlier recorded statements of 108 prosecution witnesses, including complainant of the case.
The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case, on January 8, 2020, against PK Halder for allegedly acquiring illegal assets worth around Tk 2.75 billion.
Investigation Officer Md Salahuddin, also a Deputy Director of ACC, on February 10 last year submitted a charge sheet to the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court of Dhaka against PK Halder and 13 others.
In the charge sheet, PK Halder and nine others were shown fugitives and trial was going on in their absence.
On September 8 last year, the same court framed charges against PK Halder and 13 others in the case.
In the observation the court said, “The persons who have illegally built second home abroad, actually they don’t love the country. In deed we have to love our country and with the spirit of our liberation we have to resist money launders.
In fact, there is no ideology of money launders like accused Proshanta Kumar Halder. They don’t cherish ideology. However, they illegally build a mountain of wealth hindering the progress of the country’s development.
Indeed, they are the enemies of the country and nation. They should be collectively resisted for the sake of national interest and country’s ongoing economic development.”
