Russian Wife Claims Suspected Bangladesh Casino Kingpin Salim Prodhan Innocent

The Russian wife of businessman Salim Prodhan, who was arrested three years ago on charges of running illegal gambling operations online, has claimed the allegations are false.

Anna Prodhan appeared at Special Judge’s Court No. 6 in Dhaka on Wednesday, saying she had travelled to Bangladesh three days ago after deciding to settle in the country with their children.

Judge Md Asifuzzaman allowed her to talk to Salim in the courtroom.

“The charges brought against my husband are not true. I want his release and justice through the legal procedure,” she told the media.

The Rapid Action Battalion arrested Salim at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka in 2019 during anti-casino operations.

A mobile court also sentenced Salim to six months in prison for keeping deer hides in his office.

Salim is the owner of Prodhan Group which ran an online platform called P2P Gaming for gambling illegally, the RAB said.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) prosecuted Salim later in 2019. According to the charges framed by the court, Salim amassed assets worth Tk 570 million from undisclosed sources. He also faces charges of smuggling Tk 220 million to Thailand and the US.

A banker, Rezaul Karim, testified against Salim in court on Wednesday.

Salim also has 40 percent stakes in Japan-Bangladesh Security Printing Papers with an investment of nearly Tk 7 million.

The anti-graft watchdog had earlier said he owned seven companies in Thailand, including Pradhan Global trading, Asia United Entertainment, and Toma Home Pataya Company Ltd.

The ACC has seized Salim’s movable and immovable assets and his 50 bank accounts frozen for the investigation.