The High Court (HC) has termed Khandaker Mohtesam Hossain Babar ring leader and mastermind of over Tk 2,000 crore money laundering.
Khandaker Mohtesam Hossain Babar is the younger brother of former LGRD Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Mohammad Izarul Haque Akand made the comment on Tuesday.
Later, the court rejected the bail plea of Khandaker Mohtesam Hossain Babar, who was arrested in a Tk 2,000 crore money laundering case.
Lawyer Mizanur Rahman argued for the bail petition in the court, while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state.
On March 24, Mohtesam Babar’s bail plea was rejected by Judge Nazrul Islam of Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-10. Later, he filed a bail petition in the High Court.
On March 8, police arrested Khandaker Mohtesam Hossain Babar from a house in Bashundhara residential area in Dhaka following an arrest warrant issued by court against him last year.
The name of Mohtesam Babar, former chairman of Faridpur Sadar Upazila Parishad and also a former vice president of Faridpur district unit Awami League, came up after CID in 2020 arrested Sazzad Hossain Barkat, an expelled leader of the Faridpur city unit Awami League, and his brother Imtiaz Hasan alias Rubel, who amassed Tk 2,535.11 crore beyond their known sources of income
CID said the two brothers did it under the umbrella of Mohtesam Hossain Babar.
In March last year, CID pressed charges against Babar, the two brothers and seven others for siphoning off the money abroad.
The other accused are Khandaker Mosharraf’s assistant personal secretary and former convener of Faridpur district Jubo League AHM Fuad, former Faridpur town Jubo League president Khandakar Nazmul Islam Levi, former general secretary of Faridpur town unit Jubo League Ashiqur Rahman Farhan, General Secretary of Faridpur District Swechchhasebak League Fahad Bin Wazed Fahin alias Fahim, former joint convener of Faridpur town Jubo League Kamrul Hasan David, district Jubo League Joint Convener Mohammad Ali Minar, and Faridpur town Jubo League Joint Convener Tariqul Islam alias Nasim.
A Dhaka court on September 30 last year accepted charges against 10 people, including Babar and issued an arrest warrant against him.
