Getting back the money siphoned off by Khaleda Zia’s son Arafat Rahman Coco is nothing but a ‘government drama’, the BNP has alleged.
Addressing a press conference at BNP’s Naya Paltan office in Dhaka on Wednesday, Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir claimed the handover of cheque by the Attorney General to the Anti-Corruption Commission resembled ‘a Cricket’s award ceremony.’
Mahbubey Alam handed over a cheque of $ 956,387.4 to ACC Chairman Md Badiuzzaman on Tuesday, as Bangladesh received the second tranche of money laundered by Coco after a foreign bank issued the cheque against the ACC’s Stolen Asset Recovery account.
Coco, convicted in a money laundering case, has been living abroad for the last five years. He was sentenced in absentia. The BNP maintains the case was ‘politically motivated’.
On Nov 22 last year, the national anti-graft agency said it had brought back 20,41,000 Singapore dollars of the money laundered by Coco.
Coco was sentenced to six years in prison and fined Tk 388.3 million for laundering the money to Singapore between 2004 and 2006, during the tenure of the 2001-6 BNP-led government.
Speaking at the programme on Wednesday, Fakhrul alleged that the government was “doing this drama” to divert the attention of the people from the ongoing political crisis in the country.
“People from around the world are keeping an eye on Bangladesh’s upcoming elections. We have said that restoring the Caretaker system in the Constitution will ensure fair polls in the country. Otherwise the elections will not be just.”
Stating that a movement over the caretaker demand has already brewing, the BNP spokesperson said, “The people do not have faith on this government. They have shown their support for the caretaker demand in the five city corporation polls. The government is aware of the people’s sentiment and so it is now trying to divert their attention through various means. The false claim of brining back Coco’s money is part of that plan.”
Fakhrul claims the government is indulging in this slander campaign to distract the people from its ‘misdeeds’ and the opposition’s campaign.
He said the money laundering case against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s youngest son Arafat Rahman Coco is ‘fabricated and politically motivated.’
“The case was set up to humiliate the Zia family. The verdict was delivered in his absence without giving him the chance to defend himself”, said the BNP Acting Secretary General.
Fakhrul instead brought up a counter allegation of embezzlement and corruption against Awami League saying, “There are reports in news papers. There is an ongoing case of money laundering in Canada in connection to the corruption at Padma Bridge. The cut money taken by the minister, whom the Prime Minister termed as a patriot, has also come into light.”
Source: Bd news24
