FAS Finance ex-MD Rassel arrested as ACC okays 13 embezzlement cases

Corruption

TBS Report
16 February, 2022, 12:05 pm
Last modified: 16 February, 2022, 09:51 pm
He was arrested from the capital’s Mohammadpur area on Tuesday (15 February)

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has approved the filing of 13 cases against 13 people including PK Halder after a primary investigation into the embezzlement of Tk1,300 crore of FAS Finance and Investment.

The total amount of embezzled money by the PK Halder syndicate in these cases is Tk523 crore.

The ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan arrested the former Managing Director of FAS Finance Rassel Shahriar. The court has approved a three-day remand for Rassel.

The ACC Secretary Mahbub Hossain told the media on Wednesday that cases were approved against the embezzlement of Tk523 crore. The inquiry on other incidents is also at the final stage. 

The ACC informed that the cases were approved as Tk44 crore was embezzled by the shell company of PK Halder NB Trading, Tk45 crore by Nature Enterprise, Tk30 crore by Nutrical, Tk42 crore by SA Enterprise, Tk40 crore by Sukhada, Tk40 crore by MTB Marine,

Tk45 crore by Hal International, Tk40 crore by Swandip Corporation, Tk44 crore by Diya Shipping, Tk35 crore by Moon Enterprise, Tk38 crore by Borno, Tk40 crore by RB and Tk40 crore by Marine Trust.

PK Halder and his syndicate took control of FAS Finance and Investment Ltd after purchasing shares in the organization at the end of 2014. They also removed all the old employees and replaced them with people suitable to their scheme, making Rassel Shahriar the MD. Rassel was an acquaintance of PK Halder as they used to work in the same organization in 2007.

As the MD of FAS Finance, Rassel approved a loan amounting to Tk500 crore by the board and distributed it to various companies of PK Halder.

The defendants of the cases are – NB Trading owner Shuvra Rani Ghosh, former MD of International Leasing and Finance Ltd Prashanta Kumar Halder, FAS Finance Chairman Mohammed A Hafiz, Vice-Chairman Jahangir Alam, Director Siddiqur Rahman, Uzzal Kumar Nandi, Anjan Kumar Roy, Arun Kumar Kundu, Uddab Mallik, Md Shahjahan, Mostain Billah, Satya Gopal Poddar and MD Rassel Shahriar.

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