Noman Sabit: Former Member of Parliament and former Chairman of Bangladesh Industrial Financial Company Major (retd.) Abdul Mannan is running a thriving business in the United States with the smuggled crores of taka. He has four money exchange establishments in New York alone. His only son Tasfiq Mannan is looking after this business named Sunman Express Global Money Transfer (earlier Rupali Exchange). Recently, the court of Dhaka imposed a travel ban on Major (retd.) Abdul Mannan in the case of embezzlement of Tk 8 crore.
When the investigation officer of the case, Mohammad Shamim Khandkar, deputy director of the Anti-Corruption Commission, applied, the judge of the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court. Zakir Hossain gave this order.
In the application, the investigating officer said that the former member of parliament of Dhaka-10 constituency and the former secretary general of Bangladesh, Major Mannan, has become the owner of huge amount of money through corruption and irregularities.
The investigating officer also said that he has learned from reliable sources that the accused may flee the country at any time. ACC Public Prosecutor Mahmud Hossain Jahangir made the application on behalf of the Anti-Corruption Commission.
On December 18, 2022, ACC Deputy Director Abdul Majed filed the case against 12 people, including Major (retd.) Mannan, at ACC’s Dhaka-1 integrated district office.
According to sources, the BIFC chairman, directors and officers in collusion with each other distributed Tk 8 crore as a loan to Aminur Rahman, the owner of Telecom Service Enterprise, without collateral or mortgage. Later that money is transferred to different bank accounts.
It is to be noted that Major (retd.) Abdul Mannan followed Awami League’s allies and smuggled a large amount of money and started business with a house in Turkey, according to a source.
The source also said that Anti-Corruption Commission has 14 cases against Major (retd) Mannan related to money fraud and money laundering. He went to jail 2 times in the last one year in the said case. Later, he tried to flee abroad after obtaining bail through financial transactions with Law Minister Anishul Haque’s girlfriend Toufika Karim.
Moreover, Major (retd.) Abdul Mannan with his son Tasfiq Mannan and close relatives is running several businesses named ‘Sunman Express Global Money Transfer’ in Jackson Heights, New York with the smuggled crores of taka. When contacted at the head office in Jackson Heights, New York, an official said that ‘Sunman Express Global Money Transfer’ (previously known as Rupali Exchange) has four branches in New York only. These are 73rd Street (Head Office), 74th Street Branch, Astoria, and Jamaica. There are also 40/50 agents and around 120 more branches in other states.
Sunman Express Global Money Transfer’ (formerly known as Rupali Exchange) Masud Rana Tapan, the current president and CEO, failed to reach him several times on his mobile phone, but he did not respond to text messages.
Abdul Mannan himself had already prepared to escape. Before that, he assigned his only son to look after the ‘Sunman Express Global Money Transfer’ and arranged for him to escape to a safe place. Abdul Mannan was informed that he was preparing to escape and the court banned him from traveling in the case of embezzlement of 8 crore taka.
BP/SM
