The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has filed 17 cases against 28 persons, including former private industry and investment adviser of the ousted prime minister, Salman Fazlur Rahman on the charges of siphoning off USD 83 million equivalent to Taka 1000 crore, alongside pursuing another inquiry into laundering abroad Tk 33,470 crore more.

Financial crime unit of the CID filed the cases under section 2 (Sha)/14/26 and 4(2)4 (4) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012 with Motijheel Police Station under Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

CID Police Super Md Azad Rahman told that seven of the cases were lodged on Tuesday while 10 others today (September 18).

The cases were lodged as the CID found that the BEXIMCO Group owner Salman Fazlur Rahman and his accomplices, exercising their personal influence, laundered the said money abroad through 17 organizations in collaboration with some organized criminal gangs, said a press release of the CID Headquarters.

The release also said the CID has unearthed that Salman Fazlur Rahman (founding chairman of BEXIMCO Group) and his brother Sohel F Rahman (chairman of BEXIMCO Group) and 17 organisations owned by the BEXIMCO Group opened 93 LC/sales contracts with Dilkusha, Motijheel Local Branch of Janata Bank PLC from 2021 to 2024 and exported goods worth USD 83 million equivalent to about Taka 1000 crore to different countries, including United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, against the sales contracts.

The 17 organisations are: Adventure Garments Ltd, Apollo Apparels Ltd, Autumn Loop Apparels Ltd, Bextex Garments Ltd, Cosmopolitan Apparels Ltd, Cogi Apparels Ltd, Asses Fashion Ltd, International Knitwear and Apparels Ltd, Kanchpur Apparels Ltd, Midwest Garments Ltd, Peerless Garments Ltd, Pink Maker Garments Ltd, Platinum Garments Ltd, Skynet Apparels Ltd, Spring Fool Apparels Ltd, Urban Fashion Ltd and Winter Sprint Garments Ltd.

Most of the exported goods were sent to different addresses of RR Global Trading (FZE), owned by Salman Fazlur Rahman, his son Ahmed Shayan Fazlur Rahman, Ahmed Shahriar Rahman, son of Sohel F Rahman, such as Sharjah, UAE and Saudi Arabia, the release said.

Apart from these, the accused in connivance with each other also exported goods to different countries such as Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom (UK), Turkey and Sri Lanka and did not bring back the money to the country aimed at siphoning off those abroad, it added.

The CID has preliminary found the truth that the accused did not bring back the money from abroad aimed at laundering those despite expiration of the stipulated time of four months fixed by the law.

The financial crime unit of the CID has also been conducting a separate inquiry into an allegation that Salman Fazlur Rahman in the name of different organizations and some anonymous organizations siphoned off abroad Taka 33,470 crore more after taking the money as loan alongside committing other financial irregularities.