Bdnews24.com, Washington
The US government has moved to recover funds worth US$ 3 million allegedly obtained by the younger son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and kept with a Singapore-based bank, a top justice official has announced. “The forfeiture action was filed Jan. 8 2009 in the US District Court in the District of Columbia against funds located in Singapore held by multiple account holders,” a Justice Department statement said Friday.
“The forfeiture complaint relates primarily to alleged bribes paid to Arafat “Koko” Rahman, the (younger) son of the former prime minister Khaleda Zia, in connection with public works projects awarded by the Bangladesh government to Siemens AG and China Harbor Engineering Company,” the statement said.
“This action shows the lengths to which U.S. law enforcement will go to recover the proceeds of foreign corruption, including acts of bribery and money laundering,” said acting assistant attorney general Matthew Friedrich. “Not only will the Department, for example, prosecute companies and executives who violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, we will also use our forfeiture laws to recapture the illicit facilitating payments often used in such schemes,” Friedrich said.
“According to the forfeiture complaint, the majority of funds in Koko’s account are traceable to bribes allegedly received in connection with the China Harbor project, (meant) to build a new mooring containment terminal at the port in Chittagong,” the justice department statement said.
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft (Siemens AG), a German corporation, and three of its subsidiaries pleaded guilty on Dec. 15, 2008, to violations of and charges related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
“Specifically, Siemens Bangladesh admitted that from May 2001 to August 2006, it caused corrupt payments of at least $5,319,839 to be made through purported business consultants to various Bangladeshi officials in exchange for favourable treatment during the bidding process on a mobile telephone project.
“At least one payment to each of these purported consultants was paid from a U.S. bank account,” the department said.
According to the forfeiture complaint, the bribe payments from Siemens AG and China Harbor Engineering Company were made in U.S. dollars, and the illicit funds flowed through financial institutions in the United States, it said. They were later deposited in accounts in Singapore, thereby subjecting them to U.S. jurisdiction, the statement said.
The department pointed out that money laundering laws in the United States cover “financial transactions that flow through the United States involving proceeds of foreign offences, including foreign bribery and extortion”.
In August 2006, president George W Bush announced a National Strategy to Internationalise Efforts Against Kleptocracy to fight high-level corruption around the world. This strategy combines the policy and law enforcement tools of several federal agencies, including the Departments of Justice, Treasury, State and Homeland Security.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office in cooperation with Bangladeshi law enforcers.
Courtesy: nation.ittefaq.com
