RAB seizes former political secretary's Infiniti QX56
Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:16 am
From the Daily Star
Rab seizes Harris Chy's luxury SUV
Ex-BNP MP Salahuddin's super-costly car found parked at Morshed Khan's business office
Staff Correspondent
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday seized a luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) owned by Harris Chowdhury, former political secretary to immediate past prime minister Khaleda Zia, and arrested his two brothers-in-law along with the driver of the car.
Earlier on Sunday, Joint forces seized an ultra luxury Range Rover imported by former state minister for communications Salahuddin Ahmed from Pacific Centre at Mohakhali in the city -- former foreign minister Morshed Khan's business enterprise.
The Range Rover was being used without registration. The Range Rover -- currently one of the most expensive SUVs on the market at a retail price of roughly $77,250 to over $155,000 -- was imported on July 2 last year under duty-free provision for members of parliament (MP).
Upon information about a large covered up vehicle being suspiciously parked on the government employees' staff quarter premises at Kalabagan in the capital, a team of Rab reached the scene at around 4:00am and seized the black 5,552cc (5.6-litre) V8 engine Infiniti QX56 (Dhaka Metro Gha 11-6516) owned by Harris Chowdhury, security sources said.
Harris Chowdhury, one of the 50 corruption suspects listed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), could not be arrested during the seizure of the SUV.
Only two left-hand-drive Infiniti SUVs were imported in the country by chief of Orion Group Obaidul Karim, said Rab sources. Obaidul Karim is known to have given one of the vehicles to Harris Chowdhury as a gift. The law enforcers had long been on the lookout for the two Infiniti.
Infiniti brand luxury vehicles -- Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan's luxury brand -- are currently available only in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Middle Eastern countries, South Korea and Taiwan. Infiniti will not be released in the United Kingdom and Japan until 2008.
According to the official website of Infiniti USA, retail price of an Infiniti QX56 ranges from $49,950 to $58,030.
The Rab team arrested the driver from one of the staff quarters after quizzing the security guards there.
The arrested driver, Salam, admitted that although he is still a listed driver in the government transport pool, he had been working for Harris Chowdhury as his personal chauffeur.
The driver voluntarily told Rab that Obaidul Karim gave the car to Harris as a gift after Belhasa Accom and Associates Ltd, a concern of Orion Group, was awarded the work of Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover construction project.
Following the leads gathered from the driver, Rab later arrested Harris' two brothers-in-law -- Zafar and Masum -- from their home.
The law enforcers further quizzed all of the arrestees and raided several other locations in the city to capture Harris, but without any success. Security sources however were confident that Harris has been hiding somewhere in the capital.
The vehicle along with the three arrestees was later taken to Rab 2 office in Moghbazar. The Task Force Intelligence was supposed to interrogate them last night.
The ACC on February 18 disclosed names of 50 corruption suspects and asked them to submit their wealth statements by February 25. Instead of appearing before the ACC in person, as required by the corruption watchdog, Harris sent a lawyer to the ACC to submit his wealth statement on his behalf. The ACC rejected the statement.
As per the Emergency Power Ordinance 2007, property of those who did not submit their wealth statements can be seized with permission of court.
The joint forces are now investigating the source of funds for importing these vehicles.
Following numerous reports of selling of duty-free car permits by MPs, the interim government is planning to scrutinise all motor vehicle imports by MPs during the previous BNP-led coalition government's regime.
