A Dhaka court yesterday framed charges against online casino "kingpin" Salim Prodhan in a case filed over amassing Tk 57.79 crore illegally and laundering about Tk 22 crore.

Salim, now in jail, pleaded not guilty and demanded justice after Judge Al Asad Md Asifuzzaman of the Special Judge's Court-6 of Dhaka read out the charges to him, Mohammad Mostofa, bench assistant of the court, told The Daily Star.

The judge fixed November 25 to start the

case's trial.

On March 21, Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of the Senior Special Judge's Court of Dhaka took cognisance of the charges against the accused and transferred the case to Special Judge Court-6 for its trial.

On February 4, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan, also the case's investigation officer, submitted the charge sheet to the Senior Special Judge's Court of Dhaka.

Salim, who came to the fore in 2019 when law enforcers conducted drives against illegal casino businesses, allegedly amassed his wealth from online casino businesses and laundered money to Thailand and the USA, said investigators.

Salim was arrested from a Bangkok-bound Thai Airways flight at Dhaka airport on September 30, 2019.

Later that night, Rab raided his office and residence in Gulshan and arrested his three associates -- Akhtaruzzaman, Roman, and Masum.

Three more cases including narcotics were also filed against him and those are now pending with different courts in Dhaka.