7/27/2019 Interpol Finds Morshed Khan's Tk 14_16102008

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Front PageThursday, October 16, 2008

Interpol finds Morshed Khan's Tk14.15cr stashed in HK bankSays money was laundered

The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has detected adeposit of over Tk 14.15 crore by absconding former foreign minister MMorshed Khan and his son Faisal Morshed Khan with a Hong Kong bank.

Both the Khans have been convicted in several cases relating tocorruption, hiding wealth information, land grabbing and criminal activitiesafter the caretaker government came to power in January 2007.

The Hong Kong police, through the Interpol's Dhaka office, have informedthe matter to the government and wanted to know whether Bangladeshwants to confiscate the money.

Sources said the Hong Kong police have uncovered that the money waslaundered from the earnings of Citycell, a telco partly owned by MorshedKhan and his son.

Hasib Aziz, assistant inspector general of police (AIG) who is also in chargeof Interpol in Dhaka, said the Hong Kong authorities detected 16 millionHong Kong dollars in the account. But they did not mention the name of thebank in the letter sent to Dhaka Interpol eight days ago.

The AIG said, "We have already forwarded it to the Bangladesh Bank,Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the Attorney General and other higherauthorities of the government."

The ACC can now verify whether Morshed Khan and his son Faisalmentioned the amount in their wealth statements submitted to thecommission.

Inspector General of Police Nur Mohammad told The Daily Star yesterday,"We have received the information through a letter sent by the Hong KongInterpol. Since we are not the authority to make a decision in this regard,we have forwarded the information to the authorities concerned for action."

The money laundering law allows the ACC to confiscate the launderedamount with permission from the court. The ACC also can take initiatives to

bring back the money.

The Bangladesh Bank and the Attorney General were informed of thematter as they can help the ACC in this regard.

CITYCELL

Citycell is the first mobile operator in Bangladesh that started its operationin 1989. Morshed and his son holds 35 percent stake in Citycell throughthree companies -- Pacific Motors, Pacific Traders and Pacific IndustriesLimited. Of the remaining, 45 percent is held by Singtel Asia PacificInvestments Pte Ltd, Singtel Consultancy Pte Lts and Singapore TelecomPaging Pte Ltd.

The remaining 20 percent is held by Far East Telecom Ltd registered inHong Kong.

Morshed sold the 45 percent stake to Singtel for $118 million in June 2005.

Convictions

A special court on August 21 sentenced Faisal Morshed Khan to 10 years'

imprisonment for amassing wealth illegally and concealing information in hiswealth statement submitted to the ACC.

The court ordered confiscation of Faisal's ill-gotten wealth worth Tk 1.66crore.

The court also fined him Tk 10 lakh, in default of which he will have toserve jail term for one more year.

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Kailash Sarkar

The Daily Star

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rpol finds Morshed Khan's Tk 14.15cr stashed in HK bank http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=58919

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Earlier on April 13, another special court gave Faisal seven years in jail foraiding and abetting Shahjahan Chowdhury, a former Jamaat lawmaker, incommitting crimes and amassing wealth illegally.

Meanwhile, on August 4, Morshed Khan was sentenced to 13 years'rigorous imprisonment on charges of amassing wealth illegally andconcealing information in his wealth statement to the ACC. Both the fatherand son are on the run.

Faisal, managing director of Pacific Motors and chairman of AB Bank Ltd,was also sentenced to eight years' rigorous imprisonment for acquiringwealth beyond his known sources of income and two years' imprisonmentfor hiding information about his wealth.

Since Faisal is absconding, the sentences will come into effect the day he

surrenders or is arrested.

The ACC had filed corruption cases against Morshed Khan and his sonFaisal Morshed Khan on charges of building up huge wealth through illegalmeans and concealing information on their assets worth Tk 91.34 lakh instatements to the watchdog.

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rpol finds Morshed Khan's Tk 14.15cr stashed in HK bank http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=58919

n 3 09.10.2013 12:41