PK Halder jailed for 22 years

Former director of International Leasing and Finance Service Ltd (ILFSL) Proshanto Kumar Halder, also known as PK Halder, has been jailed for 22 years in a case filed over amassing wealth illegally and money laundering.

Thirteen other accused in the case were also jailed for seven years each in two sections.

PK Halder was jailed for 10 years for illegally amassing money and 12 years for laundering money.

The court fined him Tk 333 crore.

Dhaka Special Judge Court-10 Judge Mohammad Nazrul Islam pronounced the judgement on Sunday.

Lawyer Mir Ahmed Ali was present on behalf of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). But there was no lawyer on behalf of PK Halder as he was fugitive.

The 13 other accused included Sukumar Mridha, Anindita Mridha, Avantika Baral, Shankh Bepari, PK Halder’s mother Lilavati Halder, Purnima Rani Halder, Uttam Kumar Mistri, Amitabh Adhikari, Pritish Kumar Halder, Rajib Som, Subrata Das, Anang Mohan Roy and Swapan Kumar Mistri.

Of them, Sukumar Mridha, Anindita Mridha, Avantika Baral and Shankh Bepari are now behind the bars.

Mamunur Rashid Chowdhury, assistant director of Dhaka Integrated District Office of the ACC, filed the case against PK Haldar for acquiring around Tk 275 crore illegally on January 8, 2020.

According to the case statement, PK Halder has acquired wealth worth almost Tk 275 crore beyond known sources of income through illegal activities and kept them in his possession.

The ACC investigated the case and submitted a charge sheet to the court. In the charge sheet, the anti-graft watchdog accused Halder of laundering CAD 1.17 crore to Canada through illegal means.

A Dhaka court framed charges against the accused on September 8, 2021.

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 an Indian jail.