HC asks govt about measures taken to bring back fugitive PK Haldar

PK Halder is currently in living in Canada

Prasanta Kumar Halder
File photo

The High Court on Thursday sought information from the government about the steps being taken to bring back Prasanta Kumar Halder, the disgraced director of International Leasing and Finance Services Ltd (ILFSL), accused of illegally amassing around Tk 36 billion.

The virtual division bench of justice Md. Nazrul Islam Talukder and justice Ahmed Sohel passed the order, taking cognisance of a media report that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has been planning to seek Interpol’s help to nab the fugitive, reports BSS.

PK Halder is currently in living in Canada.

The ACC chairman, senior secretary of home ministry and deputy commissioner of Dhaka have been asked to respond within 10 days in this regard.

Advocate Md Khurshid Alam appeared for ACC in the court and deputy attorney general AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state.

On 7 September, Halder filed an appeal seeking permission for his safe return to the country.

Halder is accused of illegally amassing Tk 36 billion and laundering the money abroad while performing his duties as director at ILFSL in Dhaka. On 8 January, ACC also filed a case against him for acquiring wealth worth nearly Tk 2.75 billion beyond his known income sources.

In his appeal, Haldar, however, said that he wanted to come back to Bangladesh for providing help to the authorities in recovering the amassed money of ILFSL and sought security upon his return.

The High Court on 22 January ordered the government to confiscate the properties of Halder and 19 others, including his mother, wife and brother, apart from freezing their bank accounts and revoking their passports.

After hearing appeals of seven investors of ILFSL, the court also imposed restrictions on their foreign travel. However, Haldar managed to flee to Canada.