Money laundering case: ACC seeks 22 years imprisonment for PK Halder

The Anti-Corruption Commission today pleaded for 22 years of imprisonment for 14 persons, including former Managing Director of NRB Global Bank Proshanta Kumar (PK) Halder, in a case lodged for allegedly amassing illegal wealth and laundering money abroad.

After holding hearing in this regard today, Judge Mohammad Nazrul Islam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-10 fixed August 9 for the next hearing.

"The ACC has been able to prove the graft charges made against 14 persons, including PK Halder. We expect them to be sentenced to 10 years under Section 27(1) of the Anti-corruption Commission Act, 2004 and 12 years under the provisions of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012," ACC Public Prosecutor (PP) Mir Ahmmed Salam told BSS.

Apart from Halder, the other 13 accused in the case are-- Lilabati Halder, Purnima Rani Halder, Uttam Kumar Mistry, Amitabh Adhikari, Pritish Kumar Halder, Rajib Som, Subrata Das, Ananga Mohan Roy, Swapan Kumar Mistry, Avantika Baral, Shankha Bepari, Sukumar Mridha and Anindita Mridha.

Halder, along with five others, were detained in Ashoknagar of the Indian State of West Bengal on the morning of May 14, 2022.

According to the case, Halder and his other associates have embezzled thousands of crores of Bangladeshi Taka and siphoned off to India and other countries.

On March 1, 2021, PK Halder fled Bangladesh through Jashore's Benapole land port.

On January, 2021, the ACC filed five cases against 33 people, including Halder, for allegedly laundering over Tk 350 crore of International Leasing and Financial Services Limited (ILFSL).

He had laundered about Tk 80 crore to Canada and amassed about Tk 426 crore beyond his known sources of income, the case documents said.