An inordinate delay in submitting charge sheets against 51 Destiny Group officials is lingering the judgment of the alleged fund embezzlement cases of the multi-level marketing company, experts said.
Even after three and a half months of approval of the charge sheets, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) failed to submit the charge sheets in two cases of the Destiny Group to court.
A member of the six-man investigation team of the ACC told the FE that it was taking time to finalise the charge sheets.
"It was a huge investigation. About 1.8 million clients were cheated by the Destiny Group officials. During the 17-month investigation, we found more people's involvement in the scam and unearthed different kinds of fraud committed by senior executives of the Group. So, we are preparing the necessary documents for the court keeping everything in mind," he said.
However, he assured that the charge sheets would be submitted to court soon.
On January 15 last, the ACC approved the charge sheets in two cases for swindling of about Tk 41.19 billion of investors' money from two projects of the Destiny Group.
According to the probe report, the Destiny Group executives swindled clients' money from the two projects-Destiny Tree Plantation Limited and Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited.
When contacted, ACC Chairman M Badiuzzaman told the FE that they were not intentionally making late to submit the charge sheets.
"We expected that the probe team would complete its task much earlier. However, detection of new scams widened the tasks," he said.
The ACC boss said they are optimistic that the charge sheets can be submitted within a week.
Former executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) M Hafizuddin Khan said delay in judgment process has become a tradition which is totally unacceptable.
"We always say about making the judicial process speedy, but no visible result is seen yet," he said.
Mr Khan, however, said taking time of submission of charge sheets is not always bad because enough preparation is required.
A Destiny Group official said the ACC is making delay intentionally in lingering the judgment.
"It is very clear that the Commission is again trying to take more time which will deprive us of getting justice," he said.
