What FBI stated in deposition

An FBI agent testified in the money laundering case involving Tk 20.41 crore filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman and his business partner Giasuddin Al Mamun on November 16, 2011.

It was the first time that a US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent had testified before a court in Bangladesh.

Debra Laprevotte, a supervisory special agent of the FBI, narrated before a Dhaka court how she had tracked down the money allegedly laundered by Tarique, also senior vice-chairman of the BNP, and Mamun to a bank account in Singapore.

She said the documents recovered from the Singapore bank included detailed records of money transfers and payments made via the account. The documents also included the photocopies of Tarique and Mamun’s passports, which were submitted when the two applied for credit cards from the bank.

“The first credit card on the account was a Visa credit card in the name of Mr Mamun,” she told the court, adding: “…There is another credit card in the name of Tarique Rahman.”

Giasuddin Al Mamun, 47, stood in the dock at the back of the courtroom throughout the two-hour-long proceedings on the day whereas Tarique Rahman remained a fugitive.

Laprevotte, 50, began her testimony at 12:05pm.

“I’m a supervisory special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” she said, adding: “I’ve been an FBI agent for 16 years. I have a master’s degree in forensic science and advanced training in money-laundering techniques.”

“In my country, I’m considered an expert in international money-laundering for testimony purposes,” she said.

“In 2008, the then interim government of Bangladesh requested the assistance of the United States pursuant to a mutual legal assistance request,” she said.

As per the request, she said, the US government sent representatives of the Department Of Justice to Dhaka to obtain information regarding the asset recovery cases.

“The US reviewed this request to ensure that it was not politically motivated,” she added.

She told the court that she started her investigation with the permission of the US government soon after the representatives of the US Department Of Justice had met the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

“As part of my investigation, I discovered several bank accounts in Singapore. Among these accounts, I discovered a bank account in Citibank of Singapore,” she said.

“The account was in the name of Giasuddin Al Mamun.”

The US Department Of Justice requested the documents regarding the account via mutual legal assistance to Singapore.

“I received the documents for the bank accounts 158052-008 and 158052-016 for the years 2004 and 2005,” she said.

She found two credit cards against the account.

“The first credit card on the account was a Visa credit card in the name of Mr Mamun,” she told the court, adding that the number of Mamun’s Visa credit card was 4568817000064124.

“There was another credit card in the name of Tarique Rahman,” she said, spelling out loud the letters of Tarique’s name from the paper she held. The number of the credit card was 4568817010064122.

Laprevotte then presented a set of documents, comprising 43 pages, before the court as evidence. She later gave the court another set of documents containing 229 pages.

Laprevotte said when the US received the account records from Singapore, the Bangladesh government also made a request to Singapore, via mutual legal assistance, for the bank records of the accounts, including that of Mamun.

“In December 2009, I compared the records received from Singapore to those received by Bangladesh government from Singapore,” she said. “On December 15, 2009, I certified that both copies were identical and signed a letter of certification.”

The US department of justice then sent the documents to the attorney general of Bangladesh via Bangladesh embassy in Washington DC, she added.

While reviewing all the bank records, she found a photocopy of Tarique Rahman’s passport, which was submitted to Citibank Singapore to obtain the second credit card on Mamun’s bank account, she told the court.

The passport number of Tarique was Y0085483 and that of Mamun was Q0998382, she said.

“It lists Tarique’s father as late President Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttam. And his mother was listed as Begum Khaleda Zia,” she said, spelling each name out loud before the court.

Laprevotte said bank records between 2002 and 2006 show how Tarique Rahman’s credit card was used.

“The charges total $50,613.97, which were used for paying for travel to Athens of Greece, Frankfurt of Germany, Singapore, Bangkok and Dubai, along with shopping and medical expenses,” she said.

The documents from the ACC revealed that a Bangladeshi businesswoman named Khadiza Islam transferred $7,50,000 to Mamun’s account in Singapore, she added.

“These funds were transferred on August 18, 2003. This makes up most of the funds in Mr Mamun’s account at Citibank Singapore, which was used to make payments from Tarique Rahman’s credit card,” she said.

“That is my testimony,” said Debra Laprevotte, as she ended her 75-minute deposition at 1:20pm.

Mamun’s lawyer on that day boycotted the court and left the court refusing to cross-examine the witness.

What FBI stated in deposition