DHAKA, Nov 28, 2024 (BSS)- A court here today fixed January 15 next for announcing the verdict in a case filed against 19 people including Rafiqul Amin, managing director of multilevel marketing (MLM) company Destiny, on charges of laundering over Taka 2257 crore of the consumers.

Judge of Dhaka's Special Judge Court-4 Rabiul Alam has refixed the date for announcing the verdict of the case. 

The judge on November 11 fixed today for the pronouncement of the verdict after completion of the hearing on arguments of the state and the accused. But the judge refixed the date as the verdict was not ready for today.

The accused of the case are- Managing Director Rafiqul Amin, Director Lieutenant General (Retd.) Harunur Rashid, Head Office Chairman Md. Hossain, Vice President Mohammad Gofaranul Haque, Md. Said-ur Rahman, Mejbah Uddin Swapan, Engineer Sheikh Tyebur Rahman and Gopal Chandra Biswas, Director Syed Sajjad Hossain, Irfan Ahmed Sani, Mrs. Farha Diba and Jamsed Ara Chowdhury, Profit Sharing Distributor Md. Jasim Uddin Bhuiyan, General Secretary of Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited.

 Zakir Hossain and member Md. Abul Kalam Azad, Diamond Executive SM Ahsanul Kabir Biplab, Zobair Sohail and Abdul Mannan and Crown Executive Mosaddeq Ali Khan.

Among the accused, Rafiqul Amin, Farha Diba and Mohammad Hossain in the jails while Lieutenant General (retd) Harunur Rashid is on bail. The remaining 15 accused are absconding.

On July 31, 2012, ACC Deputy Director Md Mojahar Ali Sarker filed the case against 12 persons including Rafiqul Amin with Kalabagan Police Station in Dhaka on charges of embezzling and laundering the fund of customers to the tune of Taka 2257 crore 78 lakh and 77 thousand.

The ACC submitted a charge sheet before the court in the case against 19 people on March 20, 2014 after completion of the investigation. Names of seven others were included in the charge sheet as their involvement was found during the investigation. 

On August 24, 2016, the court started the trial. As many as 140 people gave deposition during the trial in the case. 

According to the case details, Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited (DMCSL) cheated more than eight and a half lakh investors from July 2009 to June 2012 for their own benefit.

Thousands of crores of money were collected from investors in the name of providing loans, investing in non-profit organizations, opening new companies, which were later diverted by the accused persons in the name of dividends, honorarium and salaries.

On the other hand, from March 21, 2006 to February 17, 2009, more than Taka 2000 crore was collected from customers for Destiny Tree-Plantation Limited (DTPL) in the name of sale of trees in violation of laws and regulations.

The accused persons in connivance with each other embezzled the money as salaries, honorarium, dividends, special allowances or commissions, according to the prosecution.