Court jails nine Bismillah Group executives for money laundering

A Dhaka court has sentenced nine Bismillah Group executives, including Managing Director Khaza Soleiman Anwar Chowdhury and Chairman Nowrin Hasib, to 10 years in prison over a money laundering case, reports bdnews24.com.

Judge Md Atabullah announced the verdict on Monday. All nine of the convicts are currently at large.

The court has also fined the convicts double the Tk 153.35 million they laundered. This fine must be submitted to the treasury in 60 days.

The Anti-Corruption Commission filed a dozen cases against 54 Bismillah Group officials in 2013 on charges of borrowing Tk 12 billion in fraudulent loans from several banks, money laundering and corruption.

The cases were filed by ACC Director Iqbal Hossain at Dhaka's Ramna, Motijheel and New Market police stations. The charges were submitted to the court after the investigations ended in 2015.

"There are many other cases against the Bismillah Group," state ACC lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajol said. "This is just the first verdict."

The 2013 case filed at the New Market Police Station accused the suspects of laundering Tk 153 million.

The court heard the testimony of 24 witnesses before making its decision.