Tarique Rahman’s men funding anti-government activities

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Sitting inside prison, BNP’s fugitive leader Tarique Rahman’s men, Giausuddin Mamun and Mia Nuruddin Apu are funding anti-government activities.   

According to credible sources, Mamun and Apu started contacting several leaders of Hefazat-e-Islam as well as other militancy groups with the notorious agenda of creating anarchy centering the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is further learnt that Mamun has been maintaining regular contact with Salahuddin Salehin, kingpin of Jamaatul Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB) for years, while Mamun had reportedly asked Salahuddin to extend JMB’s support towards anti-Modi activities of Hefazat-e-Islam.

Salahuddin Salehin escaped during transfer from prison on February 23, 2014. Several armed members of JMB attacked the police van transporting Salahuddin and his fellow death-row inmates and snatched-away this notorious jihadist.

According to source, sitting in prison, Mamun and Apu were constantly contacting Salahuddin as well as several leaders of Hefazat-e-Islam from mobile phone and giving them instructions about anti-government activities during the visit of Narendra Modi. It is also learnt that, it was Mamun, who had asked his Hefazat contacts to “take preparations of using weapons and explosives” during the anti-Modi protests.

It may be mentioned here that, Mamun is controversial figure in Bangladesh, who also is a friend and business partner of the convicted and fugitive politician Tarique Rahman. Giasuddin Mamun made millions of dollars by using his personal and private relations with Tarique. He has been in jail since 2007 due to his convictions on numerous corruption cases. Mamun has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment on 3 cases, 2 of which are for corruption. He is also accused in 20 other cases relating to extortion, corruption, illegal arms possession, and tax evasion.

Mamun was a school friend of Tarique Rahman. In 1991, he became a businessman with an investment of Tk. 39,000. By 1996, his wealth reached Tk. 33.94 crore with 45 banks accounts in Bangladesh and abroad. He accumulated even more money during the next BNP government from 2001-2006 due to his close relations with Tarique Rahman. He earned thousands of crores of taka by selling concrete poles to the Rural Electrification Board via his business firm Khamba Limited.

Mamun was arrested by the police in 2007 during the 2006–08 Bangladeshi political crisis on an illegal arms case. His house was raided and an illegal revolver was found (because of which he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment). The raid came after an official of Abdul Monem Ltd. filed a case against Mamun for taking Tk. 1.17 crore as extortion. Mamun was prosecuted by the Bangladesh Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) for acquiring Tk. 101 crore beyond his known source of income in May 2007. In 2008, a court in Dhaka ordered a 10-year prison term for Mamun and 3 years for his wife, Shahina Yasmin, after the charges were proven. Yasmin surrendered to the court in April 2010 and was sent to prison. The High Court acquitted them of the charges in 2012 but the Supreme Court cancelled the High Court verdict in November 2015.

In 2009, Mamun was prosecuted by ACC on a charge of laundering Tk. 204 million to Singapore. In 2011, an FBI agent, Debra Laprevotte, testified against Mamun in court. He was sentenced to seven years in jail and fined Tk. 400 million in November 2013 in a Dhaka court by Third Special Judge Motahar Hossain. His co-defendant, Tarique Rahman, was wrongly acquitted. Justice Motahar left the country soon after declaring his verdict.

In July 2016, the High Court reduced Mamun’s fine to Tk 200 million.[14] In April 2019, Mamun was further sentenced to 7 years in prison on a money laundering case in which he was convicted of laundering £400 thousand to the United Kingdom.

In 2018, Mia Nuruddin Apu was arrested from Dhaka’s United Hospital by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on allegation of distributing Taka 80 million during the general election for buying votes in favor of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The RAB-2 unit filed a case with Motijheel Police Station in this regard. The case was filed under money laundering and anti-terrorism act.

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