Destiny scandal: Rafiqul gets 12 years of imprisonment, Harun 4 years in money laundering case

A Dhaka court on Thursday sentenced Destiny Group Managing Director Rafiqul Amin and Destiny-2000 President Lt Gen (retd) Harun-Ar-Rashid to 12 and 4 years of imprisonment respectively in a laundering case filed allegedly for swindling around Tk4,200 crore.

The court also sentenced 45 others accused in the case to different jail terms.

Judge Shaikh Nazmul Alam of the Fourth Special Judge's Court pronounced the verdict in the case.

The court recorded statements of 202, out of 303, prosecution witnesses, reports Bangla Tribune.

During the hearing, Rafiqul and five others, now in jail, were produced before the court. Lt Gen (retd) Harun-Ar-Rashid and two others -- now on bail -- were also present. 

After the verdict, Harun-Ar-Rashid was sent to jail with the conviction warrant.

Rafiqul's wife Farah Diba and 36 others are now absconding.

In July 2012, the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) filed two cases with Kalabagan police station in the capital against 22 Destiny officials on the charge of laundering the money.

Two ACC investigators -- Mozahar Ali Sarder and Tawfiqul Islam -- submitted the charge sheets against 51 Destiny officials on May 4, 2014.


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According to the charge sheets, the accused misappropriated about Tk4,200 crore through its tree plantation project and the cooperative firm and laundered money abroad.

The accused embezzled the money in the name of paying salaries, honorarium, commission, incentives, and promotional costs. They transferred the money to their bank accounts and those of the group’s 20 companies. 

The other accused Destiny Director Mohammad Hossain, officials Gofranul Huq, Sayed-ur Rahman, Mejbah Uddin Swapan, Syed Sazzad Hossain, Irfan Ahmed Sunny, Farha Diba, Jamshed Ara Chowdhury, Sheikh Tayebur Rahman, Nepal Chandra Biswas, Zakir Hossain, Azad Rahman, Akbar Hossain Sumon, Shirin Akhter, Lt Col (retd) Didarul Alam, Rafiqul Islam Sarkar, Majibur Rahman, Sumon Ali Khan, Saidul Islam Khan Rubel, and Abul Kalam Azad.