Charges and convictions in Kuwait

On 6 June 2020, Islam was detained on allegations of human trafficking and money laundering from Mishref residential area of Kuwait City by Kuwait's CID.^[12] Earlier on 27 February, Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh opened an enquiry against him for amassing Tk 1,400 crore by human trafficking to Kuwait and siphoned off the money to other countries.^[13][14] On 14 July, according to a Kuwait's Public Prosecution report, Papul confessed during interrogation that he had bribed 720,000 dinars (about Tk 20 crore) to two members of Kuwait's National Assembly to facilitate foreign workers' recruitment and financial transactions.^[15] He owned a construction company, Marafie Kuwaitia General Contracting Company, in Kuwait.^[13][16][17]

In November 2020, the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh (ACC) sued Papul for money laundering - he was accused of moving 148.41 crore Bangladeshi taka to different bank accounts of his sister-in-law, Jesmin Prodhan.^[18] ACC also sued Papul's wife Selina, their daughter Wafa and Jesmin in this case.^[18]

On 28 January 2021, Kuwait's Criminal Court sentenced him to four years in jail and fined 1.9 million Kuwaiti Dinar (around US$6.2 million) in human-trafficking and money-laundering cases.^[19][20] Subsequently, on 11 February, he lost his Jatiya Sangsad membership as per articles 66 and 67 of the constitution of Bangladesh.^[21] On 26 April, Kuwait's Appeal Court extended the imprisonment to seven years.^[6]