KDS Group filing false cases to harass me, my family: Former director 

Munir Hussain Khan, former director of KDS Group's concerns KY Steel Ltd and KYCR Coil Industries Ltd, has alleged that the company has filed false cases against him to harass him and his family.

"Today I am in great danger. My life, along with my family members' lives, came under threat when the country's leading industrialist group implicated me in 28 unjustified cases in the span of just nine months. They started filing the cases 20 months after I left the company," said Munir Hussain Khan at a press briefing at the Chattogram Press Club on Tuesday. 

After being imprisoned for a year in these cases, he was recently released on bail. 

"They [KDS Group] filed the cases with fabricated and manipulated documents as well as false claims," alleged Munir. 

"Following a request of my friend [Selim Rahman, managing director of KDS Group], I joined KDS Group leaving a decent life in the US in 2007 to do something in the country. But it has now put me and my family members' lives in danger," he said. 

"My father, brother and wife did not have jobs at KDS Group, but the company has also implicated them in the cases, just to harass us. Moreover, the company has been spreading misleading information about my family by publishing advertisements in newspapers and holding press briefings," he alleged. 

Munir also urged KDS Group to relieve him and his family members of the false cases. 

During the press briefing, Munir's father, former harbour master of Chattogram Port Muazzam Hussain Khan, and brother Mehedi Hussain Sagor were present. 

Munir said following an unlawful act committed at the Chattogram Central Jail by the KDS Group chairman's son Yasin Rahman Tito – a convict in a murder case who is now behind bars – he resigned from the company. 

Munir also said that in 2019 he joined Apollo Steel, 20 months after leaving the KDS Group. 

Munir's former employer sent negative messages to Apollo to harm him. But when they failed to do that, and Apollo subsequently emerged as one of the significant market rivals of the KY Steel, KDS Group started to file cases against him. 

"KDS Group first filed a case against me alleging that I had stolen a car. However, recently the police have submitted the final report in the cases as no incident of stealing the car was found," said Munir. 

The former director of KY Steel also alleged that Zabir Hussain, present chief operating officer of the company, is misleading KGS Group with fabricated documents. 

Munir said, "They filed cases over some agreements between me and some foreign companies, mentioning that I took commission from those companies while importing goods for the KDS Group, but those are entirely false and manipulated documents." 

"The KDS Group said I embezzled Tk600 crore as commission from foreign companies but how the money came to me is not mentioned in the cases. KDS Group has an internal audit team and the company is also audited by one of the leading audit firms of the country. But the audit firm did not find any dispute. So, how did I embezzle money?" Munir asked. 

Munir further alleged that the company is harassing both him and his family by publishing advertisements in newspapers, asking people not to buy property from Munir and his family members, which is unlawful. 

When contacted, Zabir Hussain said, "The cases are under trial in courts. So, I cannot make any comments on them. I did not find any internal audit company before joining the company."

Munir – a Bangladesh-born US citizen – served as a vice president at a US bank in Florida.  

In 2007 he came back to Bangladesh and joined KDS Group. He served as an executive director and a paid director from 2007 to 2018 at KY Steel.