Is Abdul Kadir Molla trying to escape?

 
The honorable High Court has permitted Thermax Group Chairman Abdul Kadir Molla to travel to Thailand to undergo medical treatment. The High Court has issued directives to this end to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and other concerned officials. At the same time Abdul Kadir Molla has been instructed by High Court to return to Bangladesh by 5 January 2025 and to submit an affidavit.

A High Court bench consisting of Justice Fatema Nazeeb and Justice Shikder Mahmudur Razee handed down the order with a rule on Sunday. Earlier on Abdul Kadir Molla had filed a writ petition with High Court seeking approval to travel overseas for healthcare treatment.

It may be recalled that gruesome allegations about financial frauds and loan scams hit news headlines in which Abdul Kadir Molla was explicitly associated. Abdul Kadir Molla was once upon a time Chairman of South Bangla Agriculture and Commerce Bank. Abdul Kadir Molla's business conglomerate Thermax Group sparked heated confabulations during last few years for his alleged connections with loan frauds and financial rackets. Most of the factories of Thermax Group are located in Narsingdi. 

Lawyer Kaiser Kamal attended the hearing in High Court on Sunday in support of the above writ petition. Senior lawyers Habibul Islam Bhuiyan and Md. Maksud Ullah, who advocated for the writ petitioner, were present at the court too. On the other hand, Attorney General Mohammad Arshadur Rauf and Deputy Attorney Generals Nur Muhammad Azmi and Akhter Md. Abdul Wahab were present at the court as state counsels. 

Later on lawyer Kaiser Kamal told journalists, "Abdul Kadir Molla was scheduled to visit Thailand for medical treatment but he was barred at the Dhaka Airport on 17 November 2024 for reasons unknown to us. Under these circumstances Abdul Kadir Molla lodged a writ petition with the High Court applying for the court's order to allow him to fly to Thailand on health grounds. The Section 36 of Bangladesh Constitution authorizes all citizens to move freely. There are no criminal complaints or financial loan cases against Abdul Kadir Molla. So, there is no legal cause to obstruct him from travelling abroad for better medical treatment. High Court has authorized Abdul Kadir Molla to visit Thailand for medical treatment. Abdul Kadir Molla is scheduled to leave for Thailand on 15 December and come back to Bangladesh on 21 December 2024."

Deputy Attorney General Nur Muhammad Azmi has told reporters that High Court has allowed Abdul Kadir Molla to travel abroad for medical treatment on certain terms and conditions. Abdul Kadir Molla is under legal obligations to submit an affidavit to the court by 5 January 2025 after he returns to Bangladesh according to his assurance to the court.

It should be noted that the Financial Institutions Division (FID) under the Finance Ministry issued an order to Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) on 29 September 2020 to take required measures to investigate the corruption allegations stated against Abdul Kadir Molla's businesses under Thermax Group which were published in The Asian Age in the same year in an investigative report headlined "Thermax turns into another Hallmark". This letter from FID was signed by Deputy Secretary Md. Jehad Uddin bearing reference number 53.00.0000.311.99.010.18.85.

Moreover, BFIU (Monitoring and Supervision Wing) sent a letter to Managing Director of Agrani Bank Limited on 29.09.2022 with detailed instructions to examine the loans disbursed to Abdul Kadir Molla and his business associate Sharif Hossain. Attention was drawn to Money Laundering Prevention Officer in the above letter from BFIU to Agrani Bank Limited corporate office dated 29 September 2022. No actions were taken at all despite the issuance of both the above letters.

Abdul Kadir Molla was reportedly one of the top beneficiaries of the anarchy, rampage, corruption and irregularities in the financial and banking sectors in Bangladesh during the immediate past Awami League regime which clung to power through tyrannical gambits from 2009 to 2024. Allegations show that Abdul Kadir Molla carried out all his financial vices with direct collaboration from ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's office, the then Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir, top Finance Ministry officials who were loyal to Sheikh Hasina and some vicious bureaucrats and immoral politicians.

Reports have surfaced that Bangladesh Bank (BB) high-ups and top notch BFIU functionaries were gobbled up by Abdul Kadir Molla with enormous sums of bribes and the BB and BFIU officials who safeguarded Abdul Kadir Molla during the overthrown regime are still very much in solid shape to extend all out assistance to Abdul Kadir Molla. Speculations have meanwhile emerged that Abdul Kadir Molla is most likely not to return to Bangladesh after he leaves for Thailand.