Khaleda wants to know source of money of prime minister’s son Joy

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has sought to know the source of prime minister’s son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed Joy’s money ‘mentioned’ in the case files related to the plot to abduct and kill him in the US.

She raised the question on Saturday at a convention of the party’s ally Jatiya Ganatantrik Party while reacting to the arrest of magazine editor Shafik Rehman in a case over the plot.

Referring to the imprisonment of the son of an expatriate BNP leader in the US, Khaleda said, “An expatriate Bangladeshi youth collected some information on Bangladesh’s incumbent prime minister’s son by bribing an FBI agent.”

“The case files say there is $300 million, which is equal to Tk 25 billion, in an account of the prime minister’s son.

“From where did this money come? What is the source of this money?” she asked.

Rehman, a journalist close to BNP, was arrested on Apr 16 in a case filed in Bangladesh over the plot to abduct and kill Joy in the US, where an expatriate BNP leader’s son, an FBI agent and a middleman have been sentenced to several terms in jail over the development.

Pro-BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami daily Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman, already in jail pending trial in a number of violence related cases, has also been shown arrested in the case.

“The government has tortured senior journalist Shafik Rehman in remand to conceal this money issue,” Khaleda alleged.

“Jailed editor Mahmudur Rahman has also been remanded in the case,” she added.

The BNP chief questioned the government’s silence over the issue and demanded investigation into it.

“The people think this money belongs to them. Innumerable assets have been raised abroad by laundering money earned through corruption and loot.

“The people want to know how much more money they have. This money should be brought back,” she said.

Khaleda’s both sons Tarique Rahman and late Arafat Rahman Coco had been charged with money-laundering. Tarique was acquitted while Coco was convicted.

Referring to the recent series of murders by suspected Islamist militants, Khaleda held Awami League responsible for ‘nurturing militancy’ by blaming BNP.

“The government cannot prevent these, cannot identify the real criminals. They are blaming the opposition instead. This is influencing the investigation and the real criminals are remaining behind the curtain,” she said.