Moosa Bin Shamsher
 | This article possibly contains original research. (July 2022) |
Moosa Bin Shamsher | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 October 1945 British India (now Bangladesh) |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Other names | Prince Moosa |
| Alma mater | Pacific Western University |
| Occupation(s) | Chairman and Managing Director, DATCO Group |
| Spouse | Kaniz Fatema Chowdhury |
| Children | 3 including Bobby Hajjaj |
| Relatives | Sheikh Fazle Fahim (son-in-law) Chowdhury family of Dulai (in-laws) |
Moosa Bin Shamsher (Bengali: মুসা বিন শমসের; born 15 October 1945) is a Bangladeshi businessman and the chairman and chief executive officer of DATCO Group.[1] The main purpose of the group is to export labor from Bangladesh to other countries. His other identity is an international arms dealer.
Early life and education
Moosa Bin Shamsher was born on 15 October 1945 to a
Business
Moosa founded DATCO Group, a manpower recruitment firm.
Partnership with Adnan Khashoggi
In an article written by Moosa, he claims that he was a close friend and business partner of the Saudi international arms-dealer Adnan Khashoggi. According to him they regularly worked together in brokering deals and traded arms mainly in Africa.[10] Moosa stated in 2019 that when Adnan Khashoggi died in 2017, he left Moosa billions of dollars in his will.[8] A Zambian news outlet reported in 2018 that before the demise of Adnan Khashoggi, Khashoggi spoke to Moosa on the phone and let Moosa in on many game-changing military secrets, known only to a few elite individuals in the world. The report also stated that Moosa claimed Khashoggi instructed him to do everything possible to bring peace between North Korea and the United States.[11]
Acquisition of Rupali Bank
In August 2006, Moosa backed a deal made by his friend[
Media
DATCO group
Formed in 1975, Shamsher's business DATCO is now primarily engaged in the export of labour in the form of migrant rural farmers from Bangladesh to the booming construction industries in the Middle East.[12][failed verification]
Offering donation
During the UK 1997 general election it was reported that Moosa offered the Labour Party and Tony Blair £5 million campaign donation. Although the party declined the donation the offer itself received a lot of media attention.[13]
Brokering peace between Trump and Kim Jong-un
Moosa claims that the historic
Personal life
Moosa is married to Kaniz Fatema Chowdhury, daughter of the last
Controversy
Travel restrictions]
According to an Indian online news outlet, United News of India, Moosa was warned not to travel to Middle Eastern countries because of the threat posed to him by Pakistan's
Alleged collaboration with the Pakistan Army
In his native
Tax evasion
In March 2017, Bangladesh Customs seized a Range Rover which was smuggled in by Moosa. Moosa evaded a tax of Tk. 2.17 crore by registering the car under falsified import documents. The car was registered in Bhola under one of Moosa's associates' names after it reportedly paid a 130% import tax. However, after law enforcers searched the Chittagong Custom House for the car's bill of entry, they found out that the papers were falsified and no tax was paid. After seizing the car they realized that it was repainted from white to black, to confuse law enforcers. Moosa was charged with money laundering and evasion of duty by the Chittagong Custom House.[18]
False statements regarding wealth
In June 2020, the ACC claimed that Moosa had misled the agency by lying about all his wealth and business dealings. They claimed that he presented himself as a prince, well-connected arms dealer, power broker, and businessman, whereas in reality, he couldn't provide the agency correct information regarding his wealth when he was being investigated. Moosa claims to have roughly US$12 Billion and US$10 million worth (in 2020 dollars) of diamonds frozen in his Swiss bank accounts. He also claimed that he owned around 1,200 bighas (roughly 400 acres) of land in Savar and Gazipur. However, after the ACC investigated him, they found that his claims of having Swiss bank accounts and owning huge swaths of land were all false. When questioned about his arms-dealing and Swiss bank accounts, he failed to submit any papers records to prove his claims. The government probe found that he had only 5 cars and a house in the affluent Gulshan area of Dhaka (which has been handed over to a development company), all of which were owned by his wife. The only asset owned by him was an ancestral piece of land in his native Faridpur, which his siblings also had shared.[9] The government probe also found out that his tall claims of political connections, private intelligence, and protecting Sheikh Hasina were all baseless self-made claims.
Fraudulent practices
In 2005, the CID filed a show-cause notice against Moosa on charges of defrauding 3 workers of Tk. 18.8 million. The CID claimed that Moosa promised 300 people overseas jobs but ended up deceiving them. The CID also accused him of abducting and vanishing one of his employees named Nazrul Islam. Other allegations against him included forgery; providing fake passports and visas; flattery, kidnapping, and violation of women. Cases and allegations have been filed against him since 1990. The journalists who leaked information regarding Moosa and his malpractices were harassed by miscreants hired by Moosa, and one of the journalists lost a limb.[19]
References
- ^ মুসার সম্পদের পরিমাণ প্রায় এক লাখ কোটি টাকা [Musa's wealth is about one lakh crore rupees]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali).
- ^ "মুসা বিন শমসেরের ব্যাংক হিসাব তলব". Bangladesh Pratidin (in Bengali). Dhaka. 24 June 2011.
- ^ "বিশ্ব বরেণ্য ধনকুবের".
{{cite web}}:|archive-url=requires|archive-date=(help); Unknown parameter|archive=ignored (help) - ^ a b "About". Bobby Hajjaj. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ Farndale, Nigel (30 May 1998). "Man with the Golden Guns". Vancouver Sun.
Pacific Western University in the United States, establishes that it awarded Moosa a PhD in 1988 - after a correspondence course.
- ^ "Home". Datco. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
- ^ "ACC asks Moosa Bin Shamsher to submit wealth statement". Daily Sun. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Moosa wants to bring €20b in Bangladesh". The New Age. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ a b c "Moosa Bin Shamsher misleads ACC about his wealth". Daily Sun. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ "Inside the world of arms dealing". Dhaka Tribune (Op-ed). 17 June 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Billionaire arms dealer behind historic Trump-Kim meeting | Zambian Eye". Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "Dark side of the Dubai dream". BBC News. 6 April 2009.
- ^ Timmins, Nicholas (29 August 1994). "Labour rejects pounds 5m offer 'on principle'". The Independent. London. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
- ^ "Customs Intelligence charges Moosa bin Shamsher with money laundering". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "Customs seize Moosa bin Shamsher's car". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "Bangladeshi-origin arms dealer Moosa bin Shamsher cannot go abroad due to ISI's threat". United News of India. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ "In a rare gesture, trillionaire Moosa Bin Shamsher plans billions for charity in Bangladesh". The Samikhsya. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ^ "Customs seize Moosa bin Shamsher's car". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ "CID serves notice on Musa Bin Shamsher". bdnews24.com. 21 February 2005.
Further reading
- Fazl, Ahmed; Kennedy, Dominic (29 August 1994). "The man who offered the Labour Party Pounds 5m". The Times. London.
- "Dr. Moosa Bin Shamsher: Famous Architect of Manpower Export". The New Nation. Dhaka. 14 August 2009. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018 – via HighBeam Research.