Transcom Group CEO Simeen Rahman allegedly paid Tk 100 crore to deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to suppress multiple cases against her, including charges of murder, share anomalies, and fraud, according to a shocking investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Reports indicate that Rahman met with Hasina three times at Ganabhaban, the prime minister's official residence, last year to discuss the matter. Documents seized from Ganabhaban after Hasina's removal confirm a meeting on March 15. The investigation suggests that the Awami League government shielded Rahman due to this illicit financial transaction with the party leader.
Simeen had been able to avoid arrest as the previous leadership of the CID stopped investigation in connection with three cases against her following the bribe.
Sheikh Hasina received Tk100 crore from Simeen Rahman in three segments. Of the amount, Tk50 crore was taken for Sheikh Mujib Museum Trust and Tk25 crore for Suchona Foundation of Saima Wazed Putul, Hasina's daughter, in cheques and Hasina received Tk25 crore in cash.
S Alam Group Chairman Mohammed Saiful Alam and Ekattor Television CEO Mozammel Babu were present during the cheque handover.
Simeen Rahman transferred Tk25 crore from her Standard Chartered Bank account to the Suchona Foundation on 18 March 2024. And the cheque was encashed on 27 March. The Sheikh Mujib Museum Trust also received Tk50 crore during the same period.
Arshad Waliur Rahman, the eldest son of Transcom Group founder Latifur Rahman and Simeen’s brother, died under mysterious circumstances on 23 June 2023. After his death, Simeen Rahman tried to pressure United Hospital Ltd to show it as a natural death. She also obtained a death certificate.
Officials of Simeen’s pharma company Eskayef Pharmaceuticals Limited played an important role there. After Arshad’s death, the mysterious activities of her sister Simeen Rahman did not escape anyone’s attention. At the same time, younger sister Shahzreh Huq accused her of murdering their brother. She claimed that Simeen Rahman had planned to kill Arshad to embezzle his ancestral property.
In 2020, Latifur Rahman, the founder of Transcom Group, died alone in his bungalow in Chiora, Chauddagram in Cumilla. In his last years, his daughter Simeen Rahman forcibly took away all his authority. Simeen took over all family property when Latifur Rahman was still alive.
After Latifur’s death, Simeen Rahman took over the properties of brother Arshad Waliur Rahman and sister Shazreh Haque through a fake settlement document. The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) had launched a drive to arrest the five officers of Transcom Group after a Dhaka court cancelled their bail in three cases last year.
The fugitive officials are Transcom Group Legal Adviser Fakhruzzaman Bhuiyan, Directors (Corporate Finance) Kamrul Hasan and Abdullah Al Mamun, Manager Abu Yousuf Mohammad Siddique and Assistant Company Secretary Mohammad Mosaddek.
The five among 15 people were accused in three cases filed by Shahzreh Huq on various charges, including embezzlement of property.
On 22 February last year, the PBI unit arrested the five officers in the cases. The following day, the court granted them bail on some conditions after rejecting the remand pleas of the PBI.
One of the conditions was that they would have to submit their passports before the court by 25 February, but they did not do so. Later, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka cancelled their bail on the same day and issued warrants for their arrest.
Shahzreh Huq filed the three cases at Gulshan Police Station on 21 February. In the cases, she also sued her elder sister and current Transcom Group CEO Simeen Rahman and mother Shahnaz Rahman, the current chairman of the group, and her brother Zaraif Ayaat Hossain, Transcom’s head of transformation, for trying to embezzle assets worth around Tk100 billion using fake documents.
Latifur Rahman left Tk1 billion in FDRs in several banks at the time of his death, according to the case statements. Shahzreh Huq accused her mother and sister of distributing the FDRs unequally, illegally acquiring the property and unauthorised transfer of company shares in connivance with the accused officials.
In addition, several people from Eskayef Pharmaceuticals were made co-accused. Immediately after this, Simeen Rahman became desperate to meet Sheikh Hasina directly. She had two meetings with Ekattor TV CEO Mozammel Babu to reach Ganabhaban.
Mozammel Babu arranged for Simeen Rahman to meet the then prime minister in exchange for a large sum of money. Former Principal Secretary Tofazzel Hossain Mia was present at the first meeting while the second meeting was held on 18 March.
In that meeting, Simeen Rahman entered Ganabhaban with two cheques and cash. The cash was in foreign currencies of dollars and Euros.
Simeen Rahman’s final meeting with Sheikh Hasina took place on 15 June last year. During this meeting, she informed Sheikh Hasina of the final decision and agreement for the sale of the Prothom Alo to S Alam Group and sought her permission. Then Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Habibur Rahman called the investigation officer and the officer-in-charge of the police station concerned and instructed them to follow a ‘go-slow’ policy in the Arshad murder case. The process of selling ownership of the Prothom Alo to S Alam Group was stopped after the fall of Sheikh Hasina on 5 August. The Prothom Alo and The Daily Star ‘gang’ now formed alliances with the new government where the majority of advisers came from their columnists’ forum.
The interim government, led by Prof. Muhammad Yunus, has dismissed the case against Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman related to the death of student Naimul Abrar Rahat. Commenting on the matter, Transcom Group Director Shahzreh Huq stated that there has been no progress in the investigation of the murder or the share scam cases. “They (Simeen Rahman) previously aligned with Sheikh Hasina, and now they’ve formed new alliances to cover up these cases,” she said, calling for justice.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
