ACC sues Khaleda’s former aide Falu, Ekramuzzaman for money laundering

The Anti-Corruption Commission has filed a money laundering case against four businesspeople, including BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s former adviser Mosaddak Ali Falu and SAK Ekramuzzaman for siphoning about Tk 1.84 billion to Dubai through offshore companies.

The ACC filed the case with Uttara Police Station on Monday, said Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya, public relations officer for the commission.

Other two businessmen are Syed AK Anowaruzzaman, director of RAK Paints, and Md Amir Hossain, director of Star Ceramics.

Gulshan Anowar, assistant director at the ACC, filed the case as the main plaintiff under the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012.

Falu, Ekramuzzaman, Anowaruzzaman and Amir opened offshore companies -- Al Madina International Limited, Three Star Limited, Development EEU in 2010 -- and smuggled out about Tk 1.84 billion earned in Bangladesh ‘through corruption’ to the UAE, according to the ACC.

They failed to show any source of the money in Dubai, the case dossier says. They do not have any proof of earning the money in Dubai nor did they notify Bangladesh Bank on their trade with Dubai, it said.

“In reality, Mosaddak Ali Falu misused his political power and smuggled out the illegally accumulated wealth abroad to invest in an offshore   company.”

Falu had been the political secretary to Khaleda when she was the prime minister during the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami rule. He was also elected MP in a by-election.

Later, Khaleda made him a member of her Advisory Council. Falu resigned from the BNP after he was made a vice-chairman of the party in 2016.