Destiny fails to repay embezzled funds

The controversial Destiny Group embezzled around Tk 40 billion (Tk 4000 crore) collected from people over a decade in the name of Multi-Level Marketing (MLM). It has been eight years since their scam was caught out in 2012, but none of the clients have been repaid. According to Destiny’s own records, they have around 4.5 million clients, including customers, distributors and investors.

Destiny also faces two cases of money laundering, neither of which has been settled. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has said that hearing of the witnesses’ depositions has not been completed as yet and so the cases are ready for a verdict to be passed. The hearing in one case is at the end stage, while the other is at the beginning.

The court, four years ago, had come up with recommendations of how the money could be recovered from Destiny, but that has not been effective. As a result, the years pass and the client’s sufferings mount. This was the picture revealed when talking to sources in the court and Destiny Group, as well as others concerned.

Former Awami League parliamentarian Shamsul Huq Bhuiyan is continuing in his efforts to get these two top officials of Destiny, accused of money laundering, released in bail. Repeated bail petitions are being made. Sources say that top levels of the government are also considering to have these main accused persons released in bail.

Former Awami League member of parliament Shamsul Huq Bhuiyan had at once stage taken on the responsibility to sell the trees owned by Destiny to recover some of the money. But this parliamentarian, elected from the Chandpur-4 seat in 2014, failed to do so. In an order of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court passed on 13 November 2016, Shamsul Huq Bhuiyan was named as the CEO of Destiny Tree Plantation.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on 27 July, Shamsul Huq Bhuiyan said, “It is true that I was involved and I have even been named in the court verdict. However, as the CEO when I went along with others to Bandarban to inspect the trees, we found them to be still just saplings. Someone had already sold the full-grown trees. And it is simply not possible to sell trees and deposit Tk 28 billion (Tk 2,800 crore) within six weeks.”

Asked why he had got involved in the matter, Shamsul Huq Bhuiyan replied, “If someone is injured in a road accident, isn’t it my duty to take him to hospital? That is what I had wanted to do.”

The Appellate Division’s condition had been that the Destiny Group managing director Rafiqul Amin and Destiny 2000 Ltd’s chairman Mohammad Hossain would be granted bail if they sold 3.5 million trees within 6 weeks and deposited Tk 28 billion (Tk 2,800 crore), or Tk 25 billion (Tk 2,500 crore) in cash to the government. The order is still in effect, but not a single taka has been deposited.

This former Awami League parliamentarian Shamsul Huq Bhuiyan is continuing in his efforts to get these two top officials of Destiny, accused of money laundering, released in bail. Repeated bail petitions are being made. Sources say that top levels of the government are also considering to have these main accused persons released in bail.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan, speaking to Prothom Alo, said, “Bail petitions are being made on their behalf every few days. This is an embarrassment for the court. Bail has been refused twice already and now we hear that preparations are being made for yet another bail plea.”

In the meantime, the incarcerated Destiny MD has spent most of the time in hospital on pleas of illness. He is still in hospital, sometimes at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) or BIRDEM.

According to various inquiry reports of the government, the Destiny top bosses used the MLM scheme to misappropriate Tk 41.18 billion (Tk 4,118 crore) from members of the public. They have even siphoned Tk 960 million (Tk 96 crore) of this out of the country. They carried out this scam for over a decade during the Awami League, BNP and caretaker governments and then again the Awami League government, before they were finally caught out in 2012.

ACC filed two cases against 53 persons including the President of Destiny Group former army chief Lt Gen (retd) Harun-Ar-Rashid, MD Rafiqul Islam and Chairman of one of the main companies of the Group, Destiny 2000, Mohammed Hossain. These cases filed on 31 July 2012 with the Kalabagan police station in the capital city, have not been settled as yet. However, Harun-Ar-Rashid has been out on bail since 18 October 2012 on condition of severing ties with Destiny.

Destiny’s legal coordinator Mizanur Rahman told Prothom Alo, “The case will eventually be settled. The sooner it would be settled, the better. The assets are affected. If these could be safeguarded, the investors would eventually get back their money and the companies would run. We want a solution.”

Shahed and Rafiqul operated in the same style

Just as the Regent Hospital scamster Md Shahed duped people by his photographs with important persons of the society, Destiny’s Rafiqul Amin would do the same.

Rafiqul Amin used ministers, advisers, lawmakers, politicians, top army and civil service officials, DCs and SPs. He would display photographs with them prominently on the walls of his office to impress and win the confidence of new customers and distributors. He would fool the people into thinking that these important persons were involved in Destiny.

Eminent lawyer Shahdeen Malik said people lose confidence in the legal system if a case drags on for too long. It is the law enforcement agencies and, to some extent ACC, that the hearing of the witnesses in the Destiny case has taken so long. They should have pushed for a speedy verdict.

Another ploy of Destiny was to get influential people on board as partners, pay them honorarium and also sponsor various sports and cultural programmes. Destiny even brought over Indian movie stars Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee over to perform at an event.

Destiny would have their various programmes inaugurated by ministers, top politicians, MPs, academics, sports stars, cultural personalities and senior officials of the army and civil service. This was even mentioned in a police report of 2013.

Assets in 22 districts

In accordance to court orders, the police have been in charge of Destiny’s assets. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) looks after Destiny’s assets in the capital city and the respective superintendents of police (SPs) in the other districts.

According to a report of Bangladesh Bank, the top officials of Destiny amassed large amounts of assets in their own names alongside that of the company. These included houses, cars, cinema halls, a jute mill, cold storage, a TV channel and cropland.

DMP has a committee for the maintenance of Destiny’s assets. This is the convenor committee for the control, management and supervision of Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society and Destiny 2000 Ltd company’s seized assets.

When asked about the issue, DMP commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam referred the matter to the committee head, DMP’s joint commissioner (transport) Mainul Huq. Speaking to Prothom Alo on Thursday, Mainul Huq said that they were carrying out the responsibility given by the court. He was unwilling to elaborate further.

Destiny has assets in 22 districts of the country, including Dhaka. These assets are divided into two – some in the company’s name and some in the name of the directors. The assets are in the names of Destiny 2000 Ltd, Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Destiny Tree Plantation and Destiny Group’s MD Rafiqul Amin, Destiny 2000’s chairman Mohammad Hossain and the other directors. Rafiqul Amin alone has 28 flats in Dhaka.

A building at 25 Court House Street in Old Dhaka and one in Dhanmondi is in the name of Rafiqul Amin’s wife Farah Deeba. He also owns property in Darus Salam of Kalyanpur and Purana Paltan Line and a 5000 ft floor space on the 10th floor of Nasir Trade Centre in Bangla Motor.

The Destiny 2000 Ltd chairman Mohammad Hossain owns plots and flats in Siddeswari, Ganadaria, cantonment and Bhatara of the capital city.

They have 24 rubber plantations in Bandarban, Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar, seven acres of land in Khulna, land in six divisional towns for the construction of Destiny international business centres, land in Cox’s Bazar, an under-construction hotel and land in Gazipur for Destiny Agro Industries.

MLM business was stated by GGN in Bangladesh in 1998. GGN was shut down due to its fraudulent practices. Rafiqul Amin was GGN’s first client.

Eminent lawyer Shahdeen Malik, speaking on the issue to Prothom Alo, said, people lose confidence in the legal system if a case drags on for too long. It is the law enforcement agencies and, to some extent ACC, that the hearing of the witnesses in the Destiny case has taken so long. They should have pushed for a speedy verdict. It is their negligence that has led to this delay. And this delay has increased the sufferings of the people who have been cheated.

* This report appeared in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ayesha Kabir.