A substantial amount of illegal assets of Transcom Group has been found in the elite city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, financed by money that was laundered.
Simeen Rahman, the CEO of Transcom Group, and her son, Zaraif Ayaat Hossain, the Head of Strategy and Transformation at the group, hold luxurious apartments worth at least 19 crore taka in their names. They also own several expensive cars.
Investigations show that they have laundered money out of the country and invested in extensive assets in luxurious cities worldwide, including Dubai.
Investigations have revealed that the extremely famous and luxurious artificial island in Dubai is Palm Jumeirah. The apartment of Simeen Rahman and her son is situated in the Balqis Residence on Crescent Road, a contemporary, beachfront, and highly exclusive street.
According to local sources, the worth of their apartment is 5.7 million dirhams, roughly equivalent to 19 crore taka in Bangladeshi currency. The Bangladesh Bank has no knowledge of any details concerning the purchase of this lavish property overseas.
According to sources from the Bangladesh Bank, the central bank has granted approval to some domestic institutions for overseas investments. As per the latest information, a total of 17 institutions have received this approval. However, Transcom Group is not on this list. The assets owned abroad by the company's CEO Simeen Rahman and her son Zaraif Ayaat Hossain have been purchased with illegal or laundered money.
It is reported that the Bangladesh Bank has streamlined the process of transferring money abroad for certain industries, enabling organizations to operate more efficiently. Airlines and information technology (IT) firms are now permitted to carry out specific transactions without prior approval from the Bangladesh Bank. However, Transcom Group is not involved in these sectors.
A Bangladesh Bank official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, mentioned that any Bangladeshi businessperson or business group intending to transfer money abroad must seek approval from the Bangladesh Bank. Furthermore, if an individual spends more than 12,000 dollars abroad in a year, they must be held accountable for it.
He further stated that Transcom Group has not received approval from the Bangladesh Bank for any foreign investments associated with its business. The Bangladesh Bank is also unaware of the assets being discussed abroad.The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) and the Anti-Corruption Commission will investigate and take action regarding these foreign investments.
According to the Bangladesh Bank's guidelines, an individual is allowed to take up to 12,000 US dollars abroad per calendar year for travel expenses, either in a lump sum or in multiple installments. Moreover, there are specific regulations for transferring foreign currency for medical and educational purposes, which are subject to approval by the Bangladesh Bank.
Palm Jumeirah, where luxurious apartments have been found in the names of Simeen Rahman and her son, is an artificial archipelago in Dubai, considered to be the eighth wonder of the world.
It is known that ‘Prothom Alo’ is run by Media Star Limited, a subsidiary of Transcom Group, while ‘The Daily Star’ is operated under another Transcom subsidiary, Media World. Simeen Rahman is the CEO of the group. Following the death of her father, Latifur Rahman, the founder of Transcom, she assumed control of all the companies. Notably, using the influence of ‘The Daily Star’ and ‘Prothom Alo’, she has been involved in significant irregularities and corruption, both within the country and abroad.
Source:kalerkantho
Bd-pratidin English/ Translated by Afia
