A metropolitan magistrate court in Dhaka on Thursday asked suspended Juba League leader and casino kingpin Ismail Hossain Chowdhury Samrat to appear before it on October 26 in a case filed for laundering Tk 195 crore.
Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Md Saifuzzaman passed the order cancelling Samrat鈥檚 exemption from personal appearance in the court, said prosecution lawyer Md Shamsuddoha Sumon.
Thursday was set for the submission of the investigation report of the case and the appearance of Samrat, who is now free on bail.
Samrat鈥檚 personal appearance was previously exempted, and his lawyer, Afroza Shahanaz Parvin, had been representing him for the past two years.
When the judge inquired about Samrat鈥檚 whereabouts, Afroza expressed her ignorance about her client鈥檚 whereabouts.
The court then ordered that Samrat must be present during the next hearing scheduled for October 26.
Criminal Investigation Department鈥檚 sub-inspector Rashedur Rahman filed the money laundering case with Ramna model police station in Dhaka on September 13, 2020 for his alleged involvement in laundering Tk 195 crore to Malaysia and Singapore.
RAB arrested Samrat and his associate, Enamul Haque Arman, at Chauddagram in Cumilla on October 6, 2019, and later conducted a raid at his Kakrail office in Dhaka.
During the drive, a large amount of foreign liquor, pistols and rare species of wild animals鈥� skins were recovered from the office.
A mobile court sentenced him to six months in prison for possessing wild animals鈥� skins.
On October 7, 2019, the RAB filed a case under the Narcotics and Arms Act with Ramna police station.
The trial of the arms case is underway in the First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge鈥檚 Court of Dhaka and the narcotics case in the Seventh Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge鈥檚 Court of Dhaka.
In addition, the case filed by the ACC against the accused Samrat for acquiring assets outside known sources of income is pending in the Special Judge鈥檚 Court-6 in Dhaka.
On November 12, 2019, ACC deputy director Jahangir Alam filed a case for acquiring illegal assets worth Tk 2,94,80,087.
