Verdict of graft case against PK Halder on 8 October

A Dhaka court has fixed 8 October to pronounce the verdict against 14 people, including former Managing Director of NRB Global Bank Prashanta Kumar Halder, commonly known as PK Halder, in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Judge Mohammad Nazrul Islam of Dhaka Special Judge's Court-10 fixed the date for the verdict after hearing arguments from both sides on Wednesday (4 October), ACC Lawyer Mir Ahmed Ali Salam said.

Apart from Halder, the other 13 accused in the case are - Lilabati Halder, Purnima Rani Halder, Uttam Kumar Mistry, Amitabh Adhikari, Pritish Kumar Halder, Rajib Som, Subrata Das, Ananga Mohan Roy, Swapan Kumar Mistry, Avantika Baral, Shankha Bepari, Sukumar Mridha and Anindita Mridha. 

Among them, Avantika Baral, Shankha Bepari, Sukumar Mridha and Anindita Mridha are in jail.

Halder, along with five others, were detained in Ashoknagar of the Indian state of West Bengal on the morning of May 14 this year.

On 1 March last year, PK Halder fled Bangladesh through Jashore's Benapole landport.

According to media reports, PK Halder possessed two passports -- one Bangladeshi and the other Canadian -- but he used his Bangladeshi passport to go to India.

In January 2021, the ACC filed five cases against 33 people, including Halder, for allegedly laundering over Tk350 crore of International Leasing and Financial Services Limited (ILFSL).

He had laundered about Tk 80 crore to Canada and amassed about Tk426 crore beyond his known sources of income, the case documents said.