Thai envoy confirms Koko's exit to Malaysia from Bangkok

DHAKA, July 12 (BSS) - Thailand's Ambassador in Dhaka Tasanawadee Miancharoen on Tuesday confirmed that Arafat Rahman Koko went to Malaysia from Thailand as a Dhaka court earlier this month handed down five years of imprisonment on a money laundering charge.

"Koko is no longer in Bangkok. He is in Malaysia," she told newsmen on the sidelines of a Thai festival in the city, days after newspaper reports said that the main opposition BNP chief Begum Khaleda Zia's younger son has left Thailand for neighbouring Malaysia.

Thai ambassador advised newsmen to contact the Malaysian envoy in Dhaka for details on Koko's entry to his country but he (Malaysian envoy) was not immediately available for comments.

Bangladesh High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur Atiqur Rahman, however, could not confirm about Koko's whereabouts as he was reached here by phone.

"Officially, we know nothing about his current whereabouts,"Rahman told BSS.

Earlier reports said Koko left for Malaysia from Bangkok in late last year while a process was underway for his trial in the graft case as Bangladesh and Thailand had an extradition treaty under which he could be brought home back to face the justice.

The reports said Koko stayed only five weeks in a hospital in Bangkok in the last three years and left for Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur in October last year. Bangkok had returned ex-major Bazlul Huda under the treaty in 1998 while he was subsequently hanged for the August 15, 1975 killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members.

Koko was arrested on September 2007 on several graft charges under a massive anti-graft campaign under emergency rules during the army backed interim regime and was paroled for treatment abroad in July 2008 when he went to Bangkok.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case against
Koko and ex-minister Akabar Hossain's fugitive son Simon on March
17, 2009 for laundering Singaporean dollar 2,884,000 and US
dollar 932,000 to Singapore.

ACC carried out the investigation teaming up with United
States and British authorities to recover millions of dollars
stashed by Koko and several other high-profile suspects in
Singapore banks while the Singapore authorities in December 2008
froze assets worth 1.6 million US.

According to the charge sheet Koko had underhand dealings
with China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd and German telecom
giant Siemens for setting up New Mooring Container Terminal in
southeastern port city of Chittagong for supplying and installing
equipment for the state-owned Teletalk mobile phone operator.

The World Bank recently released a publication mentioning
the alleged embezzlement of several million dollars by Koko as
"an example of stealing national assets".

The publication said Siemens pleaded guilty to the charges
of conspiracy and violations of books and records and internal
control provisions in a plea agreement that resulted in a $450
million.

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