PK Halder indicted in money laundering case

A Dhaka court on Thursday framed charges against Proshanto Kumar Halder, disgraced director of International Leasing and Finance Service Ltd (ILFSL), and 13 others in a case over laundering money and amassing illegal assets.

The other accused are- PK Halder's mother Lilabati Halder, Purnima Rani Halder, Uttam Kumar Mistry, Amitabh Adhikari, Pritish Kumar Halder, Rajib Som, Subrata Das, Ananga Mohan Roy, Swapan Kumar Mistry, Sukumar Mridha, Anindita Mridha, Abantika Baral, Shankha Bepari.

Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-10 Judge Mohammad Nazrul Islam framed the charges and ordered to begin trial, reports UNB.

Sukumar Mridha, his daughter Anindita Mridha, Abantika Baral and Shankha Bepari ,now in jail,pleaded not guilty during today’s hearing.

However, PK Halder and nine others were shown fugitives and will be tried in absentia. The court also fixed September 22 for recording testimonies of the witnesses. This is the first of three dozen cases filed against PK Halder and his associates.

On January 8, 2020, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Assistant Director Mamunur Rashid Chowdhury filed the case against PK Halder at the Dhaka Integrated District Office for acquiring illegal assets of around Tk 275 crore.

In the chargesheet submitted by ACC, PK Halder was accused of illegally laundering 1.17 lakh Canadian dollars to Canada. Halder had been on the run since being charged by the ACC for money laundering and amassing ill-gotten wealth.

On May 13 this year, India's federal economic offences police arrested PK Halder and his two associates from the eastern state of West Bengal. He is now in Indian jail.