PK Halder sentenced to 22 years in jail in money laundering case

A Dhaka court on Sunday sentenced former managing director of Global Islami Bank (former NRB) Prasanta Kumar Halder (PK Halder) to 22 years in jail in a case filed by ACC over amassing wealth beyond known sources and money laundering.

The court also sentenced 13 others to 7 years each.

Dhaka's special judge court-10 judge Mohammad Nazrul Islam delivered the verdict.

Anti-Corruption Commission public prosecutor Meer Ahmed Ali Salam confirmed this to Prothom Alo.

He said the court has sentenced PK Halder to 22 years in jail on charges of amassing wealth beyond known sources and money laundering.

Thirteen associates of PK Halder have been sentenced to seven years each on charges of money laundering.

Investigation of 35 money laundering cases against PK Halder has been going on.

Ahead of the delivery of the verdict, PK Halder's cousin Shankha Bepari, close associate Sukumar Mridha, Anindita Mridha and Abantika Baral were produced before the court.

Fugitive other accused are PK Halder's mother Lilabati Halder, brother Pritish Kumar Halder, and his associate Amitav Adhikari, Purnima Rani Halder, Uttam Kumar Mistri, Rajib Som, Subrata Das, Ananga Mohon Roy and Swapan Kumar Mistri.

Earlier, arguments in this case were finished on 4 October and fixed Sunday for the delivery of the verdict.

The court framed charges against 14 people including PK Halder on 8 October 2022. Ten including PK Halder are fugitives in the case and four are in the jail.

According to the charge sheet filed by ACC, PK Halder bought plots, flats and hotels worth Tk 9.33 billion at different places across country including Dhaka, Narayanganj and Narsingdi with or without providing identity.

He took loans of Tk 35 billion from four financial institutions— International Leasing and Financial Services Limited, People’s Leasing and Financial Services, FAS Finance and Investment Limited and Bangladesh Industrial Finance Company (BIFC). These organisations are unable to return money to their clients.  

At first, he started controlling these institutions through purchasing shares and took loans later. This financial scam came to fore at the beginning of 2020, months after the departure of PK Halder from the country as he fled the country towards the end of 2019.

Enforcement Directorate (ED), India's financial corruption investigation agency, arrested PK Halder from West Bengal's North Chabbish Pargana on last 14 May. They also arrested five associates of PK Halder. Before the arrest, the ED found many assets including PK Halder's luxury house in different parts of the state. He is undergoing trial there.

PK Halder is now in jail in India. Dhaka has requested Delhi to hand over him.

On 8 January 2020, ACC filed a case against PK Halder on charges of amassing Tk 2.75 illegally and money laundering while he was on the run.

Quoting Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) and Canadian Financial Intelligence Unit, ACC report says, PK Halder siphoned off more than 11.7 million (1,711,164) Canadian Dollars to his brother Pritish Halder in between 2012 to 2020.

ACC says, PK Halder who came from a lower middle class family of Pirojpur district accumulated huge amount of assets within just 10 years (2009-2019). All of his legal earnings stands at Tk 120 million only.