DRIVES AGAINST CASINOS, CORRUPTIONS JL chairman’s bank account info sought

The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit on Thursday sought details of all bank accounts of ruling Awami League’s youth front Juba League chairman Omar Faruk Chowdhury.

All scheduled banks concerned were asked to submit detailed information of the Juba League leader’s bank accounts within three working days, officials at the BFIU said.

The BFIU has already sought information on bank accounts of over 20 people, mostly ruling Awami League and Juba League leaders amidst ongoing drives against casinos and other illegal businesses in Dhaka and other areas.    

The National Board of Revenue has brought another 23 people including Juba League and Awami League leaders, businesses, former high-ranked Public Works Department engineers, their families under its scanner as it served bank accounts search notices to banks and financial institutions seeking detailed information about all transactions carried out by them and business organisations associated with them.

The CIC also collected income tax files of the people from field-level income tax offices to scrutinise their tax payment status, whether they evaded income tax hiding their income tax assets or whether they had any undisclosed income and assets, officials said.

They said that politicians and businesspeople were mainly linked with illegal casino businesses while PWD engineers are accused of taking bribe from GK Shamim, a top contractor of PWD and some other government agencies.

Dhaka courts on Thursday remanded alleged online casino businessman Salim Pradhan for four days while Mohamedan Club director in-charge Lokman Hossain for two more days.

The Central Intelligence Cell of the revenue board on Monday and Tuesday issued the notices to banks and financial institutions seeking detailed information on transaction in all types of accounts, including savings and fixed deposit receipts from the financial entities.

The CIC served bank accounts search notices for Mohammedan Sporting Club Ltd’s acting director Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan, online casino operator and Japan-Bangladesh Group chairman Salim Pradhan, Dhaka South City Corporation councillor and Juba League leader Mominul Haque Sayeed, Gandaria thana Awami League vice-president Enamul Huq Enu, his brother Rupon Bhuiyan, Kalabagan Krira Chakra president and Krishak League leader Shafiqul Alam Feroz, Dhaka South City Jubo League vice president Enamul Haque Arman and a resident of old part of Dhaka Zakir Hossain and their wives.

The government officials are former PWD chief engineer Md Hafizur Rahman Munshi, former chief engineer Kabir Uddin Bhuiyan, former additional chief engineer SAM Fazlul Kabir, their wives and housing and public works ministry senior assistant chief Md Mumitur Rahman.

Officials of the revenue board said that the CIC took the move as part of the government’s ongoing drive against illegal casino business and corruption.

The intelligence agency asked the banks and financial institutions to provide the required information by highest 15 days.

The CIC so far sought detailed bank accounts transactions information of 40 people after the Rapid Action Battalion on September 18 started the crackdown against illegal casino businesses in the capital’s major sporting clubs.

Of them, the intelligence wing of the NBR also froze bank accounts of five people — GK Shamim, his mother and wife, and Dhaka South Awami Juba League organising secretary Khalid Mahmud Bhuiyan and his wife.

The CIC also served bank accounts search notices to banks and financial institutions seeking information about transactions carried out by Awami League lawmaker Nurunnabi Chowdhury Shawon and Juba League Dhaka South City president Ismail Hossain Chowdhury Samrat and their wives, former PWD chief engineer Mohammad Rafiqul Islam and its former additional chief engineer Md Abdul Hye, recently withdrawn Dhaka metro zone additional chief engineer Utpal Kumar Dey and their wives.

The RAB launched the crackdown against casinos and illegal businesses on September 18 and so far arrested more than 150 people including Shamim, Khalid, Firoj, Lokman and Salim.

On Wednesday, the NBR requested the commerce ministry to impose an immediate ban on import and release of casino and other gambling equipment and tools.

The revenue board chairman Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan in a letter to commerce secretary Md Jafar Uddin made the request as the customs authorities cannot stop import and release of such equipment in absence of a legal framework.

The NBR also requested the ministry for including the equipment in the import prohibited list in the next Import Policy Order of the government.

Besides, customs wing of the NBR on the same day instructed all customs houses to bar entry of casino and other gambling equipment while the ministry finalises the decision of imposing the ban.

The request and directive came amid the customs authorities’ detection of import and release of casino equipment taking the advantage the legal loophole after the Rapid Action Battalion started a crackdown against illegal casino businesses in the capital’s major sporting clubs and other places run mostly by Juba League leaders.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Moinul Islam placed Salim Pradhan and two of his cohorts — Akteruzzaman and Rokon —to four-day remand each in a case lodged over narcotics act when Gulshan Police Station sub-inspector (operation) Aminul Islam produced the trio before court and demanded a seven-day remand.

On September 30, the Rapid Action Battalion arrested Salim from a Bangkok-bound flight at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Later, in an overnight drive RAB seized both Bangladeshi and foreign currency amounting to Tk 1.05 crore and bottles of liquor from the Banani house and Gulshan office of suspected online casino operator.

Raiding Selim’s two offices in Gulshan and Banani, the RAB seized 48 bottles of foreign liquor, Taka 29 lakh, foreign currency of Taka 77 lakh, 12 passports, one computer server, four laptops and two deer hides.

A RAB mobile court sentenced him to six months imprisonment for keeping two deer hides.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shainur Rahman granted two-day remand for Mohammedan Sporting Club acting director M Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan.

Lokman was produced before the court after completion of two-day remand, said investigation officer of the case Tejgaon police station sub-inspector Kamrul Islam.

The police sought for five-day remand.

The judge also rejected Lokman’s bail petition, his lawyer Mokbul Hossain Fakir said.

On September 26, the RAB arrested Lokman from his Monipuripara resident with four bottles of liquor.

A day later court granted a two-day remand in connection with a drug-related case filed with Tejgaon Police Station.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net