"The transactions (made by Koko) are under inquiry and the enquiry officer has been appointed," ACC director general (admin) Col Hanif Iqbal said in a regular briefing yesterday afternoon.
He said the anti-graft watchdog Thursday decided to initiate legal process about details of transactions made by Koko in Singapore information about which was received from the Singaporean authorities. The ACC spokesperson told reporters that the Commission would also look into Koko's transactions of S$ 2,061,093 and US$ 261,477 equivalent to some Tk 11.6 crore, the amount temporarily frozen by the authorities in Singapore.
Giving details, Hanif said in response to Bangladesh's request under the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the office of Singapore attorney general informed that through an agent over there Koko and some of his associates registered a company named ZASZ on April 10, 2004.
An account of ZASZ was credited with S$ 920,986 on May 6, 2005 and S$ 830,656 on May 31, 2005 by a company named China Harbor Engineering that has business interests in Bangladesh.
On July 29, 2005, an amount of S$ 830,656 was transferred somewhere else from that account through a cheque signed by Koko, now in Bangkok for treatment following his release on parole from prison. Later, the ZASZ account received S$ 829,706 from the China Harbor Engineering on August 1, 2005.
On October 6, 2005, S$ 303,254 was deposited with the ZASZ account from another source, according to the story unfolded in the briefing session.
Allegations also have it that Koko transferred S$ 2,013,467 on February 22, 2007 to a French bank named Credit Industriel et Commercial (CIC) through a Singaporean agent.
About next steps, Hanif said as per law and rules, inquiry is underway after receiving information followed by investigation (after filing case), memo of evidence and charge-sheet.
On repatriation of the money into Bangladesh, he said, "The return of money would depend upon court order."
According to a competent source, the inquiry would focus on three areas - if there was any violation of the Foreign Exchange Regulations, if the money was shown in the wealth statement submitted by Koko, and if there was any offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Meanwhile, the Commission has approved charge-sheeting three individuals in three cases, including Dhaka City Corporation ward commissioner Mosharraf Hossain Monju, under the purge launched in the interim period following the January 11, 2007 changeover amid a political crisis over election issues.
