Bangladesh / United States: DOJ Files Forfeiture Action Against Arafat Rahman
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(Jan 27, 2009) On January 8, 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice
filed a forfeiture action in the U.S. District Court for the District of
Columbia against Arafat Rahman, known as "Coco" or "Koko," the son of
the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia. He is alleged to
have taken bribe in connection with public works projects awarded by the
Bangladesh government to Siemens AG, a German corporation, and China
Harbor Engineering Company, a Chinese corporation. The case was
investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Washington Field
Office in cooperation with Bangladeshi law enforcement officials.
U.S.
jurisdiction and money laundering laws cover financial transactions
that flow through American financial institutions involving proceeds of
offenses occurring outside the United States. On December 15, 2008,
Siemens and three of its subsidiaries pleaded guilty to charges related
to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The forfeiture action was
filed against funds held in Singapore by several account holders,
including Arafat Rahman. (U.S. Seeks to Recover $3m Coco Bribe Money, FINANCIAL EXPRESS, Jan. 11, 2009, available at http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.info/2009/01/11/55623.html;
Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Justice Seeks
to Recover Approximately $3 Million in Illegal Proceeds from Foreign
Bribe Payments (Jan. 9, 2009), available at http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2009/January/09-crm-020.html
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