Supreme Court lawyer Masud Ahmed on Sunday served a legal notice on ridesharing companies Uber and Pathao, accusing them of embezzling and laundering approximately Tk 40,000 crore under the guise of providing services.
The notice, sent by post, gives the companies 15 days to respond.
If they fail to comply, the lawyer warned of potential legal action under Section 102 of the constitution.
Masud alleged that Uber and Pathao misappropriated money ranging from Tk 30,000 crore to Tk 40,000 crore, violating the Ridesharing Services Guideline 2017 in collusion with corrupt officials of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority.
He has also highlighted that Uber operates as a multinational company.
This year under these companies about 1.5 lakh vehicles including cars, microbuses, motorcycles, and CNG-run auto-rickshaws are running, he said.
The lawyer also said that there was no mention in the 2017 guidelines these companies would take 25 to 30 per cent commission, booking charges, advance platform fees, service charges, tax and others illegally from the owners of the vehicles enlisted under these companies.
The legal notice asked the companies since the beginning how much money they had paid the Bangladesh government as tax and why their earnings would not be declared illegal.
It also asked the companies to disclose their total balance and the method if any money was sent abroad.
Introduced in 2016, the app-based ridesharing services, particularly in Dhaka and other metropolitan cities, have gained popularity and become a full-time earning source for many people.
The Ridesharing Services Guideline came into effect on March 8, 2018, allowing a commercial use of privately-owned vehicles.
As of September this year, 15 ridesharing companies registered with the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority.
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