Tk868cr laundering: ACC approves charge sheets against 4 officials of int’l gateway operators

Highlights:

• Apple Globaltel processes 301.22cr minutes, laundered Tk463.37cr 
• Vision Tel processes 173.22cr minutes, laundered Tk404.9cr 
• Officials failed to repatriate funds, causing state losses
• Charges filed under Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has approved charge sheets against four senior officials of two International Gateway (IGW) operators in Bangladesh for allegedly laundering approximately Tk868 crore.

According to the ACC investigation, Apple Globaltel Communications Ltd, an IGW operator, processed around 301.22 crore minutes of international calls between September 2012 and June 2015, generating $6.42 crore in revenue, ACC Director General Akhtar Hossain told reporters today.

However, only $40.58 lakh of this amount was repatriated to Bangladesh. The remaining $6.1 core (approximately Tk463.37 crore) was allegedly laundered abroad.

In this regard, the ACC has approved charges against Apple Globaltel's Managing Director Abhiur Rahman Khan and Chairman Mahi Uddin Majumdar under Section 409 of the Penal Code and Sections 4(2) and 4(3) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012.

Apple GlobalTel is the licensed International inbound and outbound voice gateway operator from Bangladesh.

In a separate case, Vision Tel Ltd, another IGW operator, processed around 173.22 crore minutes of international calls between September 2012 and September 2013, generating $5.19 lakh in revenue. 

The investigation found that the entire amount – equivalent to approximately Tk404.9 crore – was laundered, with no funds repatriated to Bangladesh.

Charges have also been approved against Vision Tel's Managing Director Russell Mirza and Chairman M Badiuzzaman under the same legal provisions.

The ACC's investigation further revealed that both companies failed to pay the government its due revenue share, causing additional financial losses to the state.