Travel ban on ex-Sonali Life chairman, family

A Dhaka court today issued a travel ban Mostafa Golam Quddus, former chairman of Sonali Life Insurance, his six family members and one relative in connection with a case filed over the embezzlement of Tk 187 crore.
The six family members include Quddus’s wife Fazlutun Nesa, two daughters — Fauzia Kamrun Tania and Tasnia Kamrun Anika, and son Mostafa Quamrus Sobhan, Sobhan’s wife Safia Sobhan Chowdhury, Tania’s husband Mir Rashed Bin Aman, while the relative is Noor-e-Hafza.
Aman, former chief financial officer of the company, is its chief executive officer now, while the remaining six were former directors of the company.
Judge (in-charge) Mohammed Ibrahim Mia of the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court in Dhaka today passed the order after Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) assistant director Raqibul Hayat filed an application with the court, seeking a travel ban on the accused, said an ACC official working in the court.
ACC Public Prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam moved the petition on behalf of the anti-graft watchdog, he said.
The ACC applications that an investigation is underway into the graft case filed against the eight accused. So, the travel ban is needed to prevent them from leaving the country.
The judge also sent a copy of the order to the special superintendent of police (immigration) of the Special Branch for the next course of action.
On July 25 this year, the ACC filed a case with its integrated office in Dhaka against the eight.
According to the case statement, the accused illegally withdrew Tk 187 crore from Sonali Life Insurance using forged documents.
Later, the money was transferred to different companies and bank accounts owned by them, it added.
Earlier in April this year, The Daily Star published an article on Sonali Life Insurance based on an audit report that found Quddus and his family members embezzled at least Tk 187.84 crore from the company.
The audit was commissioned by the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA) upon receiving allegations from the company’s now-suspended chief executive officer Aman.
Then, IDRA appointed Brig Gen (retd) SM Ferdous as administrator of Sonali Life Insurance.