People’s Leasing and Financial Service Limited (PLFSL), one of the non-bank financial institutions run to the ground by scammer extraordinaire PK Haldar, has informed the High Court that it will be returning an amount close to Tk 4 crore among some 582 small investors.
Counsel to PLFSL’s board of directors, advocate Mezbahur Rahman, informed the matter to the High Court.
These are investors who had all deposited a maximum amount of Tk 1 lakh with PLFSL.
Mezbahur Rahman said there are more than 6,000 investors who lost their money with the company after Haldar, now in custody of India's Enforcement Directorate, maxed out his fraudulent scheme. For now though, it has decided to refund a group of the smallest investors, who are assumed to have been hurt most by Haldar's crimes.
Their turn comes after the PLFSL board had earlier returned a total of Tk 14.91 crore to freedom fighters, elderlies and ailing depositors, selected as first in line to get their monies back from PLFSL on humanitarian consideration, he added.
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The 582 on today's list provided to the court had combined deposits amounting to Tk 3.70 crore.
Since 2014, PLFSL has been marked as a losing concern in the country's stock market, let alone provide any profit to its investors.
In July, 2014, the High Court ordered the liquidation of the company after Bangladesh Bank filed a case in this regard.
Later on July 13, 2021, the court formed a 10-member board to manage PLSFL upon an appeal from the investors to protect their interests - including returning to them whatever portion of their investments possible from any monies belonging to the institute that may be recovered by law enforcement agencies or anyone for that matter.