Kuwait City: The Kuwaiti Public Prosecution has ordered the remand of Bangladesh MP Mohammad Shahid Islam alias Kazi Papul pending investigation into human trafficking charges, according to the Middle-East media. He is also charged with money laundering, and exploiting his compatriot workers, Gulf News reported on Monday.

Officials at the Bangladesh embassy said he was being quizzed on remand for the second day.

The prosecution brought the charges after hearing testimonies of five Bangladeshis. They alleged having paid up to 3,000 dinars in exchange for coming to Kuwait. They were also paying annual sums for renewing their residency visas, Gulf News said.

The residence investigation department arrested Shahid in the Musharraf area on Saturday.

Ambassador SM Abul Kalam said they wrote to the Kuwaiti government to know the reason behind the detention of the Laxmipur-2 MP.

Having travelled to Kuwait as a migrant worker, Shahid now owns a business empire there. He has permanent resident status in Kuwait.

The Middle-Eastern media had reported his links to human trafficking after the arrest of a Bangladeshi suspect in February. Shahid had denied the allegations.

A vice-chairman of NRB Commercial Bank, Shahid is also chairman of NRB Securities Exchange Company. He sits on the board of Crystal Energy Limited as a director.

https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2020/06/09/mp-shahid-on-remand-pending-probe-into-human-trafficking-charges-in-kuwait