The High Court on Tuesday fixed June 12 for the hearing on the rule issued on November 19, 2020 over the government steps to bring back the fugitive businessman to bring back Prashanta Kumar Halder alias PK Halder.
The court also directed the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to inform the progress of the cases filed against PK Halder within this period.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo passed the order following the arrest of PK Halder in India on Saturday
Senior lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan was present at the hearing on behalf of the ACC while Deputy Attorney General AM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state.
Meanwhile, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) under the Ministry of Finance of India is set to produce PK Halder before the court on Tuesday.
Earlier after his arrest, PK Halder was remanded to three-day custody with the ED on the basis of an application by the Indian agency.
Earlier, on September 7, 2020, International Leasing and Financial Services Limited (ILFSL) filed a petition with the High Court seeking directions not to detain or arrest PK Halder in any case.
At that time, PK Halder's company ILFSL informed the High Court that the disgraced businessman was scheduled to return to Bangladesh soon.
Later, the court ordered the law enforcement agencies to arrest PK Halder immediately upon his return to Bangladesh.
However, PK Halder did not return to the country citing illness.
In the following months, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) submitted a report to the High Court with detailed information on PK Halder’s money laundering scams.
The notorious scammer laundered about Tk80 crore to Canada and amassed about Tk426 crore beyond his known sources of income.
At least 34 corruption cases have so far been filed against PK Halder and his associates in Bangladesh.
PK Halder was believed to have fled to Canada after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Bangladesh began an investigation into his illegal activities related to the casino business in 2019.
But he has reportedly been lying low in India since March 2021.
On March 1 last year, he fled Bangladesh through Jessore's Benapole land port.
PK Halder possessed two passports — one Bangladeshi and the other Canadian — but used his Bangladeshi passport to go to India.
Despite facing legal action over financial irregularities at home, Halder continued his illegal activities while in India.
