Kuwaiti woman in Pablo case bailed

KUWAIT CITY, June 25: The Public Prosecution has released a Kuwaiti businesswoman, sister of one of the senior government officials who is a suspect in the case of the Bangladeshi MP Muhammad Shahid Islam, known as ‘Pablo’, on KD 2,000 bail but slapped a travel ban on her to prevent her from escaping, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

The daily quoting informed sources said the businesswoman faces two charges – bribery and money laundering.

The daily added, she owns a major decor company whose capital is KD 250,000 and has earned government contracts exceeding millions of dinars.

She was cross-examined by the Public Prosecution for more than an hour and a half. She was summoned for her links with the Bangladeshi MP.

Her defense lawyer, Mohamed Talib, said his client is innocent and has nothing to do with the matter and all that was reported about her in the media is incorrect and all evidence will be presented in court.

In the meantime, the sources stated the Public Prosecution is still awaiting the results of investigations conducted by its financial unit.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has urged the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the nation’s Parliament to conduct an immediate and effective investigation into the involvement of Shahid Islam in human trafficking and money laundering cases, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting https://www. thedailystar.net.

It also called for strong legal action in this regard to protect the prestige of the Parliament. The anti-graft watchdog came up with the demands in a press release issued Wednesday.

TIB termed Shahid’s involvement in such illegal activities a shameful instance of criminalization in the politics of Bangladesh. The organization also claimed that they didn’t find any credible information which indicates that the government, the Parliament, the ACC, financial intelligence unit, national board of revenue and the law enforcement agencies took this matter seriously enough in the beginning.