VZCZCXYZ0006
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKA #1143/01 3081008
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 031008Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY DHAKA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7652

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 001143 
 
SIPDIS 
VISAS 
 
DEPT FOR INL, SCA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/03/2009 
TAGS: ASEC CVIS ECON KCOR KCRM KFRD PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: VISAS DONKEY CORRUPTION 212(F) (RAHMAN, TARIQUE) 
 
REF: A. STATE 81854 
     ¶B. 04 STATE 45499 
 
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY:  The Embassy is seeking a security advisory 
opinion under section 212(f) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act, Presidential Proclamation 7750, suspending 
the entry into the United States of Tarique Rahman (aka 
Tarique), born on November 20, 1967 in Bangladesh. The 
Embassy believes Tarique is guilty of egregious political 
corruption that has had a serious adverse effect on U.S. 
national interests mentioned in Section 4 of the 
proclamation, namely the stability of democratic institutions 
and U.S. foreign assistance goals. The Embassy is not seeking 
to apply a 212(f) finding to Tarique Rahaman's wife, Dr. 
Zubaida Rahman, to their daughter, Zaima Rahman, or to his 
mother Begum Khaleda Zia, a former Prime Minister of 
Bangladesh. The following provides the information requested 
in Ref A. 
 
---------- 
 
BACKGROUND 
 
---------- 
 
¶2.  (C) Bangladesh is a developing nation in which systemic 
corruption has permeated all aspects of public life. Through 
2006, the nation topped Transparency International's ranking 
of the world's most corrupt governments four years in a row. 
The current Caretaker Government, which assumed power in 
January 2007 after months of political unrest, pledged to 
root out corruption and rid the nation of the kleptocratic 
scourge that has so long plagued this poverty-stricken 
nation.  In fact, corruption has lowered Bangladesh's growth 
rate by two percent per year, according to experts. 
 
¶3.  (C) While the Caretaker Government's efforts have met 
with some success, the deep politicization of public 
administration remains a persistent problem.  Cynicism about 
the Government's willingness or ability to hold corrupt 
leaders accountable remains high. Concerns about corruption 
continue to create a vacuum of trust that limits private 
sector investment and undermines public confidence in a 
democratic future. 
 
-------------- 
 
TARIQUE RAHMAN 
 
-------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) Tarique Rahman, the notorious and widely feared son 
of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, was released on bail 
from prison on September 3.  He departed Bangladesh to seek 
medical treatment in the UK on September 11. Having served as 
the Senior Joint Secretary General of the Bangladesh 
Nationalist Party, Tarique is an extremely high profile 
political figure. Notorious for flagrantly and frequently 
demanding bribes in connection with government procurement 
actions and appointments to political office, Tarique is a 
symbol of kleptocratic government and violent politics in 
Bangladesh. His release occurred despite multiple pending 
cases against him on charges of, inter alia, corruption, 
extortion, bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion. With deep 
political ties that reach the highest court in the land, 
Tarique managed to manipulate the judicial process and 
overcome a concerted effort by the Caretaker Government to 
block his bail. We believe Tarique has several passports, 
including a new one in which the UK issued him a visa in 
September. Another passport contains a five year 
multiple-entry B1/B2 visa (issued May 11, 2005). We suspect 
that passport is being held by the government. 
 
 
¶5.  (C)  The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), a body 
empowered by the current interim government to investigate, 
charge, and prosecute high profile malefactors, has levelled 
serious charges against Tarique. Tarique reportedly has 
accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit 
wealth. There are multiple extortion cases pending against 
him, founded on the testimony of numerous prominent business 
owners who he victimized and exploited. In one case, Tarique 
allegedly threatened Al Amin Construction owner Amin Ahmed 
with closure of the company unless he received a payment of 
150,000 USD. Other local business leaders, including Mohammad 
Aftab Uddin Khan of Reza Construction, Ltd, Mir Zahir Hossian 
of Mir Akhter Hossain Ltd., and Harun Ferdousi have each 
filed accusations detailing a systematic pattern of extortion 
on a multi-million dollar scale.  The ACC has also filed 
charges of concealing ill-gotten wealth, and the National 
Board of Revenue has brought tax evasion charges against 
Tarique. (Note: The Bangladeshi legal system is a 
testimony-based system and not an evidence-based system. It 
is standard practice for testimonial records to be used as 
the primary source of information for prosecutions. End Note) 
 
¶6.  (C) Tarique's corrupt activities were not limited to 
extortion of local companies.  The ACC has also uncovered 
evidence in several bribery cases involving both foreign and 
local firms and individuals: 
 
¶A. Siemens:  According to a witness who funneled bribes from 
Siemens to Tarique and his brother Koko, Tarique received a 
bribe of approximately two percent on all Siemens deals in 
Bangladesh (paid in US dollars).  This case is currently 
being pursued by DOJ Asset Forfeiture (POC: Deputy Chief 
Linda Samuels) and by the FBI (POC: Debra Laprevotte). 
 
¶B. Harbin Company:  ACC sources report that the Harbin 
Company, a Chinese construction company, paid 750,000 USD to 
Tarique to open a plant.  According to the ACC, one of 
Tarique's cronies received the bribe and transported it to 
Singapore for deposit with Citibank. 
 
¶C. Monem Construction: An ACC investigator advised Embassy 
officials that Monem Construction paid a bribe worth 450,000 
USD to Tarique to secure contracts. 
 
¶D. Kabir Murder Case: The ACC has evidence that Tarique 
accepted a 210 million taka (3.1 million USD) bribe to thwart 
the prosecution of a murder case against Sanvir Sobhan. 
Sanvir is the son of the chairman of the Bashundura Group, 
one of the nation's most prominent industrial conglomerates. 
Sanvir was accused in the killing of Humayun Kabir, a 
Bashundura Group director.  An investigation by the ACC 
confirmed Tarique had solicited the payment, promising to 
clear Sanvir of all charges. 
 
¶7.  (C) Beyond bribery and extortion, the ACC reports Tarique 
also became involved in an elaborate and lucrative 
embezzlement scheme. With the help of several accomplices, 
Tarique succeeded in looting 20 million taka (300,000 USD) 
from the Zia Orphanage Trust fund. According to an ACC 
source, Tarique, who is a co-signer on the trust fund 
account, used funds from the trust for a land purchase in his 
hometown.  He also provided signed checks drawn from the 
orphanage fund accounts to BNP party members for their 2006 
election campaigns. 
 
¶8.  (C) Tarique's corrupt practices have had deleterious 
effects on the U.S. interests specified in the Proclamation. 
His antics have weakened public confidence in government and 
eroded the stability of democratic institutions. Tarique's 
well-established reputation for flouting the rule of law 
directly threatens U.S. financial assistance goals directed 
toward reforming legal codes, strengthening good governance 
and halting judicial abuses. The bribery, embezzlement, and 
culture of corruption that Tarique has helped create and 
maintain in Bangladesh has directly and irreparably 
undermined U.S. businesses, resulting in many lost 
opportunities. His theft of millions of dollars in public 
money has undermined political stability in this moderate, 
Muslim-majority nation and subverted U.S. attempts to foster 
a stable democratic government, a key objective in this 
strategically important region. 
 
¶9.  (C) Tarique's flagrant corruption has also seriously 
threatened specific U.S. Mission goals.  Embassy Dhaka has 
three key priorities for Bangladesh: democratization, 
development, and denial of space to terrorists.  Tarique's 
audaciously corrupt activities jeopardize all three.  His 
history of embezzlement, extortion, and interference in the 
judicial process undermines the rule of law and threatens to 
upend the U.S. goal of a stable, democratic Bangladesh. The 
climate of corrupt business practices and bribe solicitation 
that Tarique fostered derailed U.S. efforts to promote 
economic development by discouraging much needed foreign 
investment and complicating the international operations of 
U.S. companies. Finally, his flagrant disregard for the rule 
of law has provided potent ground for terrorists to gain a 
foothold in Bangladesh while also exacerbating poverty and 
weakening democratic institutions.  In short, much of what is 
wrong in Bangladesh can be blamed on Tarique and his cronies. 
 
 
¶10. (C) Applying a 212(f) finding to Tarique Rahman supports 
the US's strong stand against corruption in Bangladesh. 
Embassy recommends that Tarique Rahman be found subject to 
Presidential Proclamation 7750 for participating in public 
official corruption as defined by Section 1, Paragraph (c) of 
the Proclamation. 
Moriarty