Noman Sabit: The news of the arrest of Awami League leader Abul Kashem alias Ekashi Kashem at the Dhaka airport in a case related to money laundering has started a commotion among the expatriates of the United States including New York. He had been collecting and laundering money illegally under the name of his proposed People’s Bank. He was arrested by immigration police in Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport last Wednesday (June 21) at midnight when he was try travel to the United States. When this news spread quickly, the Awami League family, including the Bangladeshis living in the United States, started a commotion. Half a dozen other leaders of the United States Awami League are involved in his money laundering said lots of exaprtriates. The leaders and workers of Awami League of the United States have been frightened by the incident of his arrest. As a result, no one wants to go to the country now. Expatriates believe that the name of main culprits will come out only after the investigation of Dhaka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is over.
Abul Kashem alias Ekashi Kashem, a construction businessman from Brooklyn, New York, joined Awami League from Jasad in 2008. After that, he managed the leaders of Awami League in the United States and got the position of the 10th vice-president of the party in exchange for a large amount of money. He has a construction business in the United States. The Central Bank has not found the authenticity of even one of the accounts of the assets that Abul Kashem submitted to Bangladesh Bank for the formation of People’s Bank.
According to related sources, the vice-president of Awami League’s United States branch, Abul Kashem, returned to the country in 2017 after receiving an assurance from a former high-ranking person of the Bangladesh government to become the owner of a new bank called ‘People’s Bank’. Before getting the approval, he also opened an office at Banani DOHS in the capital using a signboard with the name ‘Proposed People’s Bank Limited’. After that, he started collecting capital and additional expenses from various individuals and institutions including businessmen with the assurance of making him the director of the bank. Almost two years pass like this.
The Board of Directors of Bangladesh Bank gave in-principle approval to People’s Bank, Bengal Commercial and Citizen Bank on February 17, 2019. Abul Kashem was the Chairman of People’s Bank who got policy approval. After that approval, Bengal Commercial and Citizen Bank started operations, but People’s Bank never saw the light of day.
Bangladesh Bank canceled the initial approval of the bank as it could not fulfill the conditions. But Abul Kashem did not return the money taken from various individuals and institutions in the name of the bank before the approval. These funds were collected by talking about making bank directors. With that money, Abul Kashem bought several houses in Brooklyn, New York, flats in Gulshan and expensive cars and went around Dhaka city and New York.
The Board of Directors of Bangladesh Bank took a policy decision on February 17, 2019 to offer the bank. The board of directors of the central bank also gives letter of intent to the bank. However, the bank could not fulfill the conditions of the letter of interest even after taking time several times in three years.
Meanwhile, Abul Kashem did not deposit all the money he collected to form the bank. Again, the money deposited is not in the name of the bank but deposited as his own. And those from whom money is collected, not all of them have been given the position of director or entrepreneur.
The bank took the initiative to add some new directors including cricket star Shakib Al Hasan, his mother Shirin Akhtar, after excluding some of those who were made directors in the beginning. Also asks for more time to comply with the conditions. Shakib Al Hasan and Abul Kashem met the then Governor of Bangladesh Bank Fazle Kabir on December 21, 2021 and told the matter. However, on January 20, 2022, the central bank rejected the request for a new extension. The letter of interest given to the bank was also cancelled. As a result, the initiative to form a bank failed. Then it was said on behalf of Bangladesh Bank that Shakib Al Hasan took two director positions of the bank with 40 crore taka.
A senior official of Bangladesh Bank told the media on Saturday night that there is nothing called People’s Bank in the country. Its initiative has long since collapsed. Those who have deposited money to become directors, have given on their own responsibility. The central bank has nothing to do about getting their money back.
Talked to several businessmen and bank officials involved in the initiative to form the People’s Bank. They said that many people joined Kashem hoping to become the director of the bank. Now there is no bank, money is not getting back.
Abul Kashem’s close friend Nazrul Islam said, he (Abul Kashem) is a listed contractor in New York City. In the nineties he bought a house in Brooklyn, New York. Recently bought two more houses. Before coming to the United States, he was associated with Jasdar politics in Sandwip.
On July 26, 2020, Alesha Mart got its registration from the Directorate of Joint Venture Companies and Firms. Alesha Mart’s journey officially started on January 7, 2021. Manzoor Alam Shikdar, Chairman of Alesha Mart, gave Abul Kashem Tk 100 crore taken from the customer to become the director of the proposed People’s Bank and to invest in the stock market. As a result, the customers of Alesha Mart also got a large amount of money stuck with Abul Kashem.
In this incident, the CID has filed a case against 15 people including Chairman of E-commerce company Alesha Mart Manjur Alam Shikder, his wife Sadia Chowdhury, Chairman of People’s Bank Abul Kashem under Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Recently, Assistant Superintendent of Police (SP) Al Mamun of CID filed this case at Banani police station in the capital. After that, Abul Kashem was arrested.
A few days after his arrival in the country in 2017, a person interested in becoming the director of the proposed People’s Bank rented a house to Abul Kashem in Gulshan. Even though the initiative to establish a bank failed, he bought that flat in house number 5 of road number 109 of Gulshan-2 area. After the arrest, his Dhaka Metro-G-45-7821 car was found lying under the house.
Meanwhile, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director Uttam Kumar Mondal sent a letter to the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit, an organization dedicated to preventing money laundering, on June 1.
It is said that Abul Kashem, despite not having the wealth to become a bank chairman, showed assets of 40 crore rupees in America while sitting in Bangladesh. Manzoor Alam Shikder, owner of e-commerce company Alesha Mart, has been accused of laundering Tk 150 crore to Abul Kashem in the United States.
Former Chief Economist of Bangladesh Bank Mustafa K Mujeri said that people are now earning money in various legal and illegal ways. Being the owner of a bank is a matter of prestige, many people have given him money for this. Bangladesh Bank has given initial approval and recognized him.
Whether there is a real need for a bank in the country has not been considered. The initial approval of this bank was given on political decision. For this a good criteria should be fixed for becoming a bank director. Not only financial but also social status should be considered. Then the situation of going to jail for cheating will not arise.
The related source also said that Abul Kashem limited his business after joining Awami League politics. In 2017, when an influential person of the Awami League government visited the United States, he developed a friendship with him. Then the person assured Abul Kashem to give the bank certificate.
After that, he came to the country and took the initiative to form the People’s Bank. As per rules, setting up a bank requires a capital of Rs 500 crore. In the bank’s application form submitted to Bangladesh Bank, Farzana Hossain, director of Dishari Industries, Mukitur Rahman, director of Tama Construction, Aslam Serniabat, owner of car sales center Car Selection, Rezaul Hossain, representative of Sumi Apparels, Managing Director (MD) of Madina Pharmaceutical, Moha were as directors. Zakir Hossain Patwari, Khan Brothers Group MD Tofail Kabir Khan, Khandkar Badrul Ahsan, owner of Khandkar Tower in Gulshan, Tanzima Shahtaz, representative of Digant Sweaters, Amjad Khan, MD of Shwan International and Samiha Azim, representative of Sinest Apparel. Apart from this, former Vice Chairman of Meghna Bank Abdul Alim Khan was also with him. Some of them paid money in advance to become directors. Many of them are not getting that money back now.
It is known that Abul Kashem took Tk 100 crore from the e-commerce company Alesha Mart by making him a director of People’s Bank and investing in the stock market. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police has registered a case against Abul Kashem in this incident. He was also banned from traveling abroad. Within a few hours, he was arrested from the capital’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Wednesday midnight. Abul Kashem is currently in jail.
The investigation officer of the case filed against Abul Kashem, Inspector of Financial Crime Unit of CID.
Moniruzzaman said that the immigration police brought Abul Kashem to the CID on Thursday morning. After that he was sent to the court asking for remand and the date of hearing was fixed on June 25. Along with that, the court ordered to send Abul Kashem to jail.
Several Bangladeshi expatriates from Sandwip in Brooklyn said that Abul Kashem alias Ekashi Kashem is the owner of Sparrow Contracting in Brooklyn, New York, USA. Established Kashem Contracting in 1987. Nearly 20 years ago, Sandwip, who was based in Brooklyn, ran for president of the association and got just 81 votes. Since then, his name has been changed to Ekashi Kashem. He is known by this name in New York.
Abul Kashem was born in 1952. His father is Abu Bakar Siddique of Rahmatpur, Sandwip, Chittagong. Abul Kashem stated in the documents submitted to the bank that he completed his secondary education in 1973 from AB High School, Sandwip, higher secondary education in 1975 from Omar Gani College and BA from Nazirhat Degree College, Chittagong in 1978. Since coming to the United States in the eighties, he has lived in Brooklyn.
Like Abul Kashem, half a hundred Awami League leaders and activists are involved in various businesses in the country. All of them are doing money transactions freely in the country and abroad. The leaders and workers of Awami League in the United States have been frightened by the arrest of Abul Kashem. As a result, no one is returning to the country.
Meanwhile, although 5 days have passed since the arrest of Awami League vice-president Abul Kashem, he is still in office. No action has been taken by the party even in the last 5 days.
Awami League of the United States has decided against the arrested leader Abu Kashem? Is he still the vice-president of the United States Awami League committee? Or has he been expelled from the party? In response to the question, the president of the Awami League of the United States did not give any answer. Siddiqur Rahman and Acting General Secretary Abdus Samad Azad.
Dr. Siddiqur Rahman mentioned in the press release of United States Awami League on his Facebook page that the proposed People’s Bank Chairman United States Awami League Vice President Abul Kashem has been arrested by the police of Dhaka on the charge of money laundering, the news has been published in electronic and print media abroad in the country which has deteriorated the image of United States Awami League. Action will be taken as soon as possible with due seriousness as per the rules of the organization in consultation with the Centre.
United States Awami League has no involvement with such alleged activities of Abul Kashem.
BP/SM
