Bangladesh court sentences ex-army chief, 18 others to 12-year imprisonment for embezzlement

Dhaka: A Bangladeshi court on Wednesday sentenced former army chief Harunur Rashid and 18 others to 12 years of imprisonment and also slapped fines worth more than Tk 4,500 crore for embezzlement and money laundering.

The Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 sentenced former army chief Lieutenant General (Retd) Rashid and Rafiqul Amin, managing director of Destiny Multipurpose Co-Operative Society Limited to 12-year imprisonment each in a case lodged over embezzlement and money laundering.

A court official said Judge Md Rabiul Alam simultaneously fined them Tk 4,515.57 crore (USD 1=Tk 120.93), an amount double to what they were accused of misappropriation involving the MLM company or network business firm.

MLM companies sell products to family and friends and recruit other people to do the same.

Rashid was recruited by the firm as a director years after his retirement from the army while he was granted bail as the hearing was underway since the trial began in 2016.

The Destiny group chairman, Rashid and another executive of the company who were present at the court were immediately brought to prison under tight security after the court delivered the judgment.

Other convicts are on the run and were tried in absentia while the court issued orders for their arrest.

Amin, his wife Farah Diba and Rashid, were previously sentenced to different terms along with 43 others in another case related to the company in 2022, when only Rashid was granted bail as an appeal process was underway.

According to the case statement, Destiny group collected Tk 1,901 crore from the investors and embezzled Tk 1,861.45 crore of the amount as a result of which eight lakh investors faced losses.

Rashid served as the army chief during the first tenure of now deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government from 1996 to 2001.