Verdict in Coco case Thursday

Dhaka, June 22 (bdnews24.com) ? A Dhaka court will pronounce on Thursday verdict in the money laundering case against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia's youngest son Arafat Rahman Coco and co-accused Ismail Hossain Simon in their absence.

On completion of arguments, judge Mohammad Mozammel Hossain of the Dhaka Special Judge's Court-3 on Sunday fixed Thursday (June 23) for the delivery of judgement in the money laundering case against Coco and Simon, son of former shipping minister late Akbar Hossain.

The same judge will announce the verdict on Thursday, clerk of the court Ariful Islam told bdnews24.com on Wednesday.

The first charge-sheet in the case against the two was framed on Nov 30 last year.

Coco, arrested on Sep 3, 2007 in the GATCO corruption case, has been in Bangkok for treatment on parole since July 19, 2008, while Simon is still absconding.

The government on Aug 19 last year cancelled Coco's parole and asked him to return home by Aug 31 and surrender before the court.

During the charge framing, the court on Nov 30 issued an arrest warrant against the accused as they failed to return to the country and appear before it within the specified time.

Recording of testimonies in the money laundering case against Coco started on Jan 4 this year and continued up to June 15.

The court on June 6 framed fresh charges against Coco and Simon under the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2002 to avoid legal complications as they were indicted for activities which occurred before 2009. The same court on Nov 30 last year indicted Coco for money laundering under the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2009.

Assistant director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Abu Syed filed the case against Coco and Simon with the Kafrul Police Station in the city on Mar 17, 2009, stating that the accused had laundered to Singapore SGD 28,84,000 and to the United States USD 9,32,000 which they had received from China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd and Siemens for helping them bag government contracts.

China Harbour got a Tk 3.51 billion contract to set up New Mooring Container Terminal and Siemens a Tk 2.39 billion contract to supply and install equipment for Teletalk, the state-owned cell phone operator.

On Nov 12 last year, ACC official Abu Syed submitted the charge-sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, Dhaka, showing 23 people as prosecution witnesses.

Special public prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajol told bdnews24.com on Wednesday that the accused will be released from the case if they are found innocent by the court.

"If they are found guilty, they may be sentenced to a maximum punishment of seven year's jail and fined as per the Section 13 (2) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2002," he added.

Coco's counsel Taherul Islam told bdnews24.com that the court recorded testimonies of the 21 witnesses within a short time. "The witnesses have not been cross-examined as the accused were shown fugitives in the court document. So the verdict may be biased."

He also said that Coco has five more cases filed against him. Of those, a case filed for amassing wealth illegally and concealing information in his wealth statement submitted to the ACC, a extortion case and the GATCO corruption case have been on stayed following the Supreme Court order.

However, a tax evasion case filed against Coco by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) is under hearing at the Dhaka's Senior Special Judge's Court.

The charges against the accused in the case will be framed on June 26.

bdnews24.com/pb/skb/nir/2345h

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