PK Halder gets 22 years’ jail for money laundering, amassing wealth
UNB, Dhaka :
A Dhaka court on Sunday sentenced disgraced director of International Leasing and Finance Service Ltd (ILFSL) Proshanto Kumar Halder, also known as PK Halder to 22 years’ of imprisonment in a case over amassing wealth and money laundering.
Thirteen other accused in the case were sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment each.
Judge of Dhaka Special Judge Court-10 Mohammad Nazrul Islam delivered the judgment.
The 13 convicts included Sukumar Mridha, Anindita Mridha, Avantika Baral, Shankh Bepari, PK Halder’s mother Lilavati Halder, Purnima Rani Halder, Uttam Kumar Mistri, Amitabh Adhikari, Pritish Kumar Halder, Rajib Som, Subrata Das, Anang Mohan Roy and Swapan Kumar Mistri.
Of them, Sukumar Mridha, Anindita Mridha, Avantika Baral and Shankh Bepari were present on the dock during the delivery of the judgment.
Earlier on October 4, the court set October 8 for delivering verdict upon ending arguments from the both the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the defendants.
Mamunur Rashid Chowdhury, assistant director of Dhaka Integrated District Office of the ACC, filed the case against PK Haldar for acquiring around Tk 275 crore illegally on January 8, 2020.
According to the case statement, PK Halder acquired wealth worth almost Tk 275 crore beyond known sources of income through illegal activities and kept them in his possession.
The ACC investigated the case and submitted a charge sheet to the court. In the charge sheet, the anti-graft watchdog accused Halder of laundering CAD 1.17 crore to Canada through illegal means.
A Dhaka court framed charges against the accused on September 8, 2021.
On May 13 this year, India’s federal economic offences police arrested PK Halder and his two associates from the eastern state of West Bengal.He is now in an Indian jail.