Bangladesh
PK Halder BSEC directs to freeze all shares of PK Halder
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, May 20: The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has directed the Central Depository Bangladesh Limited (CDBL) to freeze all types of shares of the company of Prashanta Kumar (PK) Halder, who has carried out massive looting in the country's financial sector.
The order was issued on Thursday (May 19) in the wake of a court order to freeze the shares of accused PK Halder in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
In a case filed at the Metropolitan Sessions Judge and Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court and the ACC's Dhaka Integrated District Office-1, the court on April 13 ordered to block or freeze PK Halder's movable assets. According to it, the BSEC has requested in a letter to the managing director of CDBL to freeze PK Halder's movable assets and company shares.
An official in charge of BSEC said that the commission had written to CDBL on Thursday instructing it to freeze all the shares of PK Halder.
PK Halder bought and sold shares of International Leasing, Fas Finance and People's Leasing and Financial Services under different names before and after the 2014 parliamentary elections. PK Halder carried out extensive looting with the possession of three companies.
In the case filed so far by the ACC, it has been said that preliminary information has been obtained about the embezzlement of Tk 2,500 crore from international leasing, Tk 2,200 crore from Fas Finance and about Tk 3,000 crore from People's Leasing. All the three companies that were looted by PK Halder are in financial trouble.
Meanwhile, PK Halder fled from Bangladesh after looting the country's financial sector and took shelter in India. Halder was arrested by the India's Central economic intelligence agency, Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Saturday.
Earlier on Friday, ED officials had raided the offices of PK Halder and his associates and recovered a large amount of cash.
