ACC approves chargesheet against PK Halder

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has approved a chargesheet against Prashanta Kumar Halder alias PK Halder, former managing director of International Leasing and Financial Services Limited (ILFSL), on allegations of acquiring around Tk426 crore by illegal means and laundering 11.7 million Canadian dollars to Canada.

In the chargesheet 13 other people including Halder's mother, brother and friends have also been accused, said ACC secretary Md Anwar Hossain Howlader on Wednesday.

The ACC secretary said the investigation officer found the involvement of 13 more people while investigating the case of illegal acquisition of assets against Halder. So they have also been accused in the chargesheet.

The other accused in the case are PK Halder's mother Lilabati Halder, his brother Pritish Kumar Halder, Avantika Baral, Shankho Bepari, Sukumar Mridha, Anindita Mridha, Purnima Rani Halder, Uttam Kumar Mistry, Amitabh Adhikari, Rajib Som, Subrata Das, Ananga Mohan Roy and Swapan Kumar Mistri.

The ACC filed the case on 8 January 2020 against PK Halder for allegedly acquiring illicit assets worth around Tk275 crore. 

PK Halder, who has been absconding, acquired illegal assets worth around Tk426 crore in various illegal ways in his name and under various real and fake companies and individuals, according to the chargesheet.

To conceal the location of his illicit assets, PK Halder transacted money through 178 bank accounts. He deposited Tk6,080 crore in these accounts and withdrew Tk6,076 crore from them in his name and anonymously. 

The chargesheet further states PK Halder, in collusion with the other accused, laundered 11.7 million Canadian dollars to Canada from Bangladesh through Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and India.

According to the ACC, PK Halder has swindled at least Tk11,000 crore from various organisations.

Sources at the ACC said the amount of swindled money they so far learned about during investigating the case may increase further.

PK Halder has embezzled around Tk3,500 crore from ILFSL, Tk2,200 crore from FAS Finance, Tk2,500 crore from Reliance Finance and Tk3,000 crore from People's Leasing. There is almost no mortgage against all these loans, so the chances of recovering the loans are slim, said the ACC.

After investigations, the ACC has already filed several cases.