Staff Reporter: After the US sanctions against seven former and current RAB officials are coming soon prompting sanctions against former and current government officials involved in money laundering in the United States. There are many Bangladeshis names in the list of money launderers. These include the names of former and current government officials. Ashraful Alam Khokan, former Deputy Press Secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has reportedly fled the United States for fear of being included in the ban. Khokan’s escape to the country has also spread through social media.
Samad Khan, an activist of the Gano Adhikar Parishad, wrote on his Facebook status on January 19, “Ashraful Alam Khokan, the former Deputy Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, has left the US for fear of US sanctions and returned to Bangladesh.”
Ashraful Alam Khokan former Deputy Press Secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, posted his resignation on Facebook on February 28 last year. He resigned citing reasons for pursuing higher education. He wrote in the post at the time, “I applied to resign today, February 28, 2021, because of the lack of educational vacation opportunities in contract employment. Earlier, I received a scholarship to study” Media, Journalism and Public Relations “at Hofstra University in New York. Khokon is a former secretary general of the Dhaka University Journalists’ Association and has been the Deputy Press Secretary to the Prime Minister for almost seven years.
It is alleged that during the tenure of former Deputy Press Secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Ashraful Alam Khokan used his influence in various fields including his own area to smuggle hundreds of crores of taka to the United States through massive corruption. The people of his area became enraged at his relentless harassment. A former Awami League MP and state minister in his constituency had announced to hold a press conference in January last year but it was postponed due to the intervention of the central Awami League leaders and he was ordered to resign from the concerned ministry, a reliable Awami League source said.
Meanwhile while in New York, Ashraful Alam Khokan formed a friendship with a group of human trafficker and prostitute supplier, including BNP leaders and activists. Local Awami League leaders and activists complained that he was seen hanging out with BNP leaders,activists and artist traders all the time.
During the tenure of former Deputy Press Secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Ashraful Alam Khokan was involved in massive corruption against him by exerting influence in various fields including his own. The people of his area became very angry. As a result, when a former MP and State Minister of his constituency announced to hold a press conference, it was postponed due to the intervention of the leaders of the Central Awami League and he was ordered to resign from the concerned ministry, a reliable source of the Awami League said.
When the global Corona epidemic started in 2020 Ashraful Alam Khokan former Deputy Press Secretary to Sheikh Hasina snatched a large sum of money from the self-proclaimed Corona fighter in New York and YouTuber Dr. Ferdous Khandaker by promising him the post of Prime Minister’s Health Adviser. After the incident was announced on June 7, 2020. When Ferdous Khandaker arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Bangladesh, he was sent to quarantine. Instead of a large sum of money, said. When Ashraful Alam Khokan’s plan to oust Ferdous Khandaker as the Prime Minister’s Health Adviser was leaked, he was sent back to the United States from Quarantine without giving any treatment to Corona patients in the country.
Also in July 2017, Ashraful Alam Khokan, former Deputy Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, and Ashiq Islam, former Press Secretary to BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tareq Rahman, had a secret meeting at a restaurant in Jackson Heights, New York. A local journalist captured the scene of the discussion on his mobile phone. Ashraful Alam Khokan saw it. He immediately snatched his mobile phone from the journalist and hurriedly deleted the pictures, threatening him. The meeting between Khokon and Aashiq was not accidental but planned. Many people think that Khokan was already looking for an alternative way to change his position if the Awami League government is ousted.
After knowing the incident Awami League leaders and activists, including Bangladeshis living in the United States, became enraged. The matter was brought to the notice of the Prime Minister and several other central leaders of the party and the heads of the intelligence agencies. After the news was published in the US media ‘Bangla Press’, there was a lot of commotion in the Council of Ministers of the country including the United States. After a lengthy investigation, intelligence officials submitted a report to the Prime Minister. The source said that this was the main reason for the removal of former Deputy Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Ashraful Alam Khokan.
BP/SM