HC questions authorities’ failure to refund Tk 3.05cr

The High Court yesterday questioned the authorities' failure to refund Tk 3.05 crore to a depositor of multilevel marketing company unipay2u Bangladesh Limited in line with a trial court verdict.

In response to a writ petition, the HC issued a rule asking the respondents to explain in four weeks why their inaction and failure to refund the money to depositor Md Mazur Hossain should not be declared illegal.

In the rule, the court also asked the respondents to show causes why they not be directed to refund the money including its interest since 2010 to Manzur Hossain.

Secretaries to the ministries of finance, law and home, governor of Bangladesh Bank and the head of its money laundering prevention departments, chairman of unipay2u Bangladesh Limited and representatives of Brac Bank, City Bank and NCC Bank, where the money has been deposited, have been made respondents to the rule, writ petitioner's lawyer Saifuzzaman Tuhin told The Daily Star.

The HC bench of Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Mohammad Ali came up with the rule following the writ petition filed by depositor Manzur Hossain, seeking necessary directives on the respondents to refund his money deposited to unipay2u.

Saifuzzaman Tuhin said a Dhaka court on January 23, 2019 sentenced six officials of unipay2u, including its chairman and manager, to 12 years' rigorous imprisonment each in a case filed for laundering around Tk 1,351 crore through multi-level marketing sham.

The trial court also directed the authorities concerned to take steps to refund the money to the depositors. But, the respondents are yet to take any step to refund the money, he added.

In the verdict, the Dhaka court has also fined them around Tk 2,702 crore and directed them to pay the fine in favour of the state within 180 days, in default legal actions will be taken against them.

On January 25, 2011, Taufiqul Islam, an assistant director of Anti-Corruption Commission, filed the case with Shahbagh Police Station against the officials of unipay2u, a so-called multilevel marketing company, for amassing money by cheating people.

In the case, it was alleged that the accused lured people into investing in gold, promising higher profit against the purchase.

After getting registration from the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies & Firms on November 22, 2009, the accused started collecting money from people, which stands at around Tk 1,351 crore. They deposited the money in three banks.

Of the money, the accused withdrew over Tk 270 crore and transferred some in their personal accounts on different dates.

They also sold land in the company's name, which is tantamount to the offence of laundering money, according to the charge sheet.

After an investigation, ACC on June 22, 2011 pressed charges against the six, which was framed on July 6, 2015.