A Dhaka court yesterday directed the Anti-Corruption Commission to confiscate all the properties of controversial business group Destiny.
The order came in connection with two money-laundering cases, filed by the ACC in July this year, involving Tk 3,285.26 crore.
The court also asked the anti-graft body to confiscate personal properties of Destiny Group Chairman Mohammad Rafiqul Amin, his wife Farah Diba and Destiny 2000 Chairman Mohammad Hossain.
Judge Mohammad Zahirul Haque of Senior Special Judges’ Court of Dhaka passed the order after the commission filed two petitions before the court.
ACC Deputy Director Mozahar Ali Sarder and its Assistant Director Toufiqul Islam filed the petitions seeking permission to seize the Destiny properties.
Rafiqul Amin, Mohammad Hossain and another accused Lt Col (retd) Didarul Alam are now in jail custody while Destiny Group President Lt Gen (retd) M Harun-Ar-Rashid was granted a conditional bail from the High Court.
Rafiqul, Hossain and Didarul gave confessional statements before magistrates, saying they had transferred over Tk 26,000 crore to their personal accounts and later misappropriated the amount.
ACC lawyer Mosharof Hossain Kazal told The Daily Star yesterday, “Following the court order, Destiny’s all moveable and immovable properties have been frozen from yesterday.”
Destiny Group has 37 concerns, though many of those are on paper only.
The concerns include Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Destiny Tree Plantation, multilevel marketing entity Destiny 2000, Best Air, Boishakhi television and newspaper The Dainik Destiny.
The group owns land and buildings in different places of the country.
One of the most valuable is Ananda Cinema Hall at Farmgate. Destiny bought it at Tk 65.65 crore and the property includes 31.5-decimal land and a building, according to documents.
The group has 28.60-decimal land at Kakrail, 101 decimal at Purana Paltan and nearly 10 decimal at Baridhara in the capital. Destiny bought these pieces of land from private parties in 2010-11.
Destiny Group also owns land in Khulna, Barisal, Munshiganj and some other places.
Of the moveable properties, the group has automobiles.
The ACC on July 31 sued 22 officials of Destiny Group for laundering Tk 3,285.26 crore by cheating investors.
Source: The Daily Star
