The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has received responses from the financial intelligence units (FIUs) of different other countries about 10 individuals or entities whose names were published in Panama Papers and Paradise Papers leak as money launderers.
On the basis of the intelligence from foreign FIUs, the BFIU prepared intelligence reports and forwarded it to the concerned law enforcement agencies for further legal actions, said a report of the BFIU submitted in the High Court on Wednesday.
The 10 individuals or entities are--- Faisal Ahmed Chowdhury, Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury, Salma Haque, FM Zobaidul Haque, Sharif Zahir, Dilip Kumar Modi and his family, Md Aminul Islam, Nazim Asadul Haque, Tariq Ekramul Haque and Abdul Awal Mintu and his family.
Faisal Ahmed has a bank account in Thailand, Mahtab Uddin has financial transactions in Australia, primary information of staying in Australia was found about Salma Haque, Zobaidul Haque has financial transactions in Australia, Sharif Zahir has a bank account in Malaysia, Dilip Kumar has an account in Nepal and money laundering allegation found against Aminul Islam, Nazim Asadul and Tariq Ekramul.
Abdul Awal Mintu’s two sons Tazwar Md Awal and Tafsir Awal run a company in Singapore named ‘NFM Energy Singapore PTE Limited’. Both brothers are American citizens and they have bank accounts there where suspicious transaction information has been found.
On the basis of media reports, BFIU compiled a list of 43 Bangladeshi individuals or entities published in Panama Papers and another list of 26 Bangladeshi individuals or entities published in Paradise Papers, according to the BFIU report.
BFIU analyzed the issue of possible money laundering by the individuals or entities mentioned in the two leaked papers. For this purpose, BFIU requested information on the individuals or entities to the Financial Intelligence Units of concerned countries and got responses from about 10 individuals or entities.
During a hearing on a writ petition on February 28 last year, the High Court bench headed by Md Nazrul Islam Talukder wanted to know the names of the Bangladeshi nationals who have deposited money in the banks of Switzerland (Swiss banks) and what steps have been taken to bring back that money and issued the rule.
It also asked the respondents to explain why a direction should not be given to initiating an immediate probe upon Bangladeshi companies and citizens disclosed in the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers leak and to submit a compliance report of the progress before the court every month.
Complying with the High Court order the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on December 5 in 2021 submitted a report in the court. In the report, the ACC listed 29 individuals and entities whose names came into the Paradise Papers and 14 other individuals and entities whose names came into the Panama Papers as money launderers.
Upon hearing the ACC report, the court on December 6 last directed the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Police to submit separate reports in the court over their steps taken against the persons whose names came into the Paradise Papers and Panama Papers leak as money launderers.
Complying with the court order passed on December 6 the BFIU through its Joint Director Khandakar Ashif Rabbani sent the report to the attorney general office. Deputy attorney general AKM Amin Uddin submitted it to the court as an affidavit. The deputy attorney general said the High Court may hear the matter next Sunday.
In the report, the BFIU listed 43 individuals and entities whose names came into the Panama Papers and 26 other individuals and entities whose names came into the Paradise Papers as money launderers.
