Bangladesh
Money Embezzlement Destiny's Rafiqul sentenced to 12 years, former army chief Harun to four years in prison
Dhaka, May 12: Rafiqul Amin, managing director of Destiny Multipurpose Co-operative Society, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for embezzling Tk 4,000 crore from customers. He has also been fined Tk 200 crore. At the same time, the chairman of the group, former army chief General (retd) Harun-ur-Rashid, has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Besides the jail term, the court also ordered him to pay a fine of Tk 3.5 crore and six months imprisonment for non-payment. The remaining 43 accused in the case have been sentenced to different terms.
Judge Sheikh Nazmul Alam of the Fourth Special Judge's Court in Dhaka pronounced the verdict on Thursday (May 12).
All the properties of Destiny Multipurpose have been confiscated in favor of the government. Destiny Multipurpose Co-operative Society's customer embezzlement and money laundering case, Destiny Group Chairman Harun-ur-Rashid and Managing Director Rafiqul Amin, including 46 people were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment. In addition to imprisonment, they have been fined a total of Tk 2,300 crore. Besides, all the assets of this organization which were frozen and frozen have been confiscated in favor of the state.
A six-member committee has been formed to distribute the property to investors. In this committee, the former judge of the Supreme Court has been made the chief secretary and the registrar of the Ministry of Cooperatives has been made the member secretary. The committee also includes Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperatives, DIG of Police and Chartered Accountant. This committee will coordinate all the assets of Destiny and distribute it among the investors of this organization.
Destiny's MD Rafiqul Amin and 47 others are accused in the case. Among them is Lt. Col. (Retd.) Md. Didarul Alam, Lt. General (Retd.) Harun-ur-Rashid, Mrs. Jasmine Akhter (Milon), Ziaul Haque Mollah and Saiful Islam Rubel. MD Rafiqul Amin and Destiny chairman Mohammad Hossain are in jail. Another 39 accused are absconding.
On July 31, 2012, the then Deputy Director of the ACC Md. Mozahar Ali Sardar and Assistant Director Md. Taufiqul Islam filed two separate cases under the Money Laundering Act at Kalabagan Police Station in the capital on charges of embezzlement and money laundering.
Mozahar Ali Sardar filed the chargesheet in the court on May 4, 2014. Destiny's customers were accused of embezzling Tk 4,119.24 crore.
