Proshanta Kumar Halder, who had spoken of his desire to return to Bangladesh amid allegations of having assets beyond means worth Tk 3 billion, has had a change of heart, reports bdnews24.com.
He says he is not coming back now due to illness, according to lawyers of the state and the Anti-Corruption Commission.
The High Court last week ordered the police to take him into custody on arrival after he had sought protection to return by an Emirates Airlines flight from Dubai on Oct 25.
The court also ordered the inspector general of police, immigration authorities and the ACC to ensure his "safe" surrender on return as he fears for his security.
But later Halder informed the Attorney General's Office and the commission about the change of plan via email, Attorney General AM Amin Uddin told the news agency.
Citing Mahfuzur Rahman Milon, a lawyer for The International Leasing and Financial Services Limited or ILFSL, ACC counsel Khurshid Alam said Halder is not returning now due to "illness".
Milon did not respond to bdnews24.com's request for more details.
Halder said in a letter to ILFSL on Friday that he was yet to formally get a copy of the High Court orders about his arrival.
He said he was "feeling feverish and physically unwell", which "looks like" symptoms of the novel coronavirus infection and it will be "unwise" to travel now.
He also said he would inform the company about a new date and time of his arrival when he gets "physically fit".
The ILFSL had filed a petition with the court in the first week of September saying the life of its former managing director will be in danger if he returns home without protection.
Besides continuing the legal proceedings against the swindlers, it is necessary to give them the scope to help recover the embezzled money, the judge had said during the hearing earlier.
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