Dhaka, Nov 16 — Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Debra LaPrevotte has told a Dhaka court about her findings in an investigation into the allegation of money-laundering against BNP chief Khaleda Zia's elder son Tarique Rahman and his friend Giasuddin Al Mamun.
At Dhaka's Special Judges' Court-3 on Wednesday, she said she checked Tarique and Mamun's bank accounts in Singapore's City Bank NA.
LaPrevotte found the senior vice chairman had travelled and bought many things with $50,613 he had withdrawn from Mamun's bank account through two VISA credit cards.
The US investigator said the FBI had investigated the matter at the request of the last caretaker government and the Anticorruption Commission.
According to the case filed by the ACC in 2009, Tarique and Mamun allegedly channelled funds worth over Tk 204 million or $ 2.73 million out to Singapore between 2003 and 2007.
The fund was allegedly taken by Mamun in bribes from Khadiza Islam, director of Nirman Construction Limited, for helping it bag the contract of an 80MW power plant at Tongi. Mamun later deposited the money allegedly to the Singapore bank's Capital Street branch.
LaPrevotte said she found that $700,000 was channelled from Khadiza's account to Mamun's account and Mamun later forwarded the money to Tarique's account.
According to the agent, a 229-page investigation report of the FBI had been sent to the attorney general's office through Bangladesh embassy in the US. A 38-page report had also been sent through the Bangladesh embassy in Singapore.
LaPrevotte presented the copies of the reports to the court on Wednesday. Several other foreigners were also present at the court room amid heightened security.
At the start of her deposition, she said there had been no political influence behind her coming here to testify.
BNP, however, alleged that the FBI agent was brought to frame Tarique on false charges.
Mamun's counsels Khandaker Mahbub Hossain and Fakhrul Islam said Debra was not a witness named in the charge-sheet. According to rules, statement of a witness, not named in the charge-sheet, is recorded after the recording of the statements of witnesses included in the chargesheet. But this time it was not done, they said.
They, however, left the court without quizzing Debra.
State's counsels attorney general Mahbubey Alam, Anisul Haque and Mosharraf Hossain Kajal were present in the court.
Mamun was produced before the court.
After Tarqiue's arrest on Mar 7, 2007 during the state of emergency, Tarique flew to London with his family for medical treatment on Sep 11, 2008. He has since been living there.
On Aug 8 this year, the court indicted Tarique and Mamun in the case under the Money Laundering Act 2002 and issued arrest warrant for Tarique.
bdnews24.com
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