CID sues 33 over Tk100cr laundering linked to Malaysian recruitment syndicate

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has filed a case against 33 individuals, including three former lawmakers, for their alleged involvement in laundering Tk100 crore through a Malaysian recruitment syndicate.

The CID filed the case today (28 August) with Banani Police Station under the Money Laundering Prevention Act for laundering over Tk100.78 crore, Special Superintendent of Police of CID (media) Jasim Uddin Khan said.

According to the case statement, those accused include former MP Nizam Uddin Hazari, owner of Snigdha Overseas Ltd; Lt Gen (retd) Masud Uddin Chowdhury, owner of Five M International Ltd, along with his wife Jasmine Masud and daughter Tasnia Masud; former MP Benazir Ahmed, owner of Ahmmed International; and Kashmeri Kamal, wife of former finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal.

Also among the accused is Ruhul Amin Swapan, proprietor of Catharsis International and former secretary general of Baira (Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies).

The case document states that Masud Uddin Chowdhury, one of the members of the syndicate, was involved in manpower export to Malaysia through his manpower export company Five M International, and the other accused, in collusion, sent 9,372 workers to Malaysia from 18 August, 2016 to 30 May, 2024 through fraud, reports BSS.

At that time, an additional Tk150,000 per person was collected apart from the government-fixed fee of Tk78,990.

In addition, evidence has been found of collecting an additional Tk36,500 for passport, Covid-19 test, medical, and clothing.

The board of directors of Five M International and the members of the syndicate were also accused in the case.

The CID has already frozen bank accounts of Masud Uddin Chowdhury and his syndicate members containing Tk5.91 crore.