Interpol issues red notice against PK Halder

International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) on Friday issued a red notice against Proshanta Kumar Halder – the man who left the country after reportedly amassing at least Tk3,600 crore.

Police Headquarters Assistant Inspector General (Media) Md Sohel Rana confirmed this to media.

A red notice alerts police worldwide about internationally wanted fugitives, but it is not an arrest warrant.

The notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action, Interpol says.

However, such notices help bring fugitives to justice, sometimes many years after the original crime was committed. And Interpol issued 13,377 red notices in 2019.

On Monday, Bangladesh Police requested Interpol to issue the alert against PK Halder.

“The issuance of red notice follows judicial proceedings in the country issuing the request. This is not always the home country of the individual, but the country where the crime was committed,” Interpol says.

Also, every red notice request is checked by a specialised task force to ensure it is compliant with Interpol rules.

On November 19, the High Court asked the government what steps were being taken to bring former International Leasing and Finance Service director PK Halder back.

On September 7, Halder filed an appeal seeking permission for his safe return to the country.

He is accused of illegally amassing at least Tk3,600 crore and laundering the money abroad while working as the director of International Leasing and Finance in Dhaka.

On January 8, the Anti-Corruption Commission also filed a case against him for amassing wealth of nearly Tk275 crore beyond his known sources of income.

However, Halder said in his appeal that he wanted to come back to Bangladesh to help the authorities recover the amassed money and sought security upon his return.

On January 22, the High Court ordered the government to seize the properties of Halder and 19 others –including his mother, wife and brother – along with freezing their bank accounts and revoking their passports.

Also, upon hearing the appeals of seven International Leasing and Finance investors, the court imposed restrictions on their foreign travel. However, Halder managed to flee to Canada.