A Australian-Bangladeshi man has been charged with allegedly sending more than $90,000 to people in Bangladesh in an attempt to influence an investigation into the suspected murder of his estranged wife.
According to ABC Australia, Awlad Hossain, 51, was charged with bribing a Bangladeshi public official, an offence carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. He has not yet appeared in court.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) arrested Hossain on Tuesday and searched homes in Goodna and Redbank Plains, seizing an electronic device. Investigators also searched financial institutions in Sydney and Brisbane and seized international funds transfer and bank records.
Hossain was in custody in Brisbane and was expected to apply for bail after his case was adjourned.
The AFP has been investigating the suspected murder of Rehana Parvin, an Australian citizen and mother of five, whose body was found in a small village in Bangladesh in September 2024.
Bangladeshi police have issued an arrest warrant for Hossain in connection with her death, but he has not been charged with murder in Bangladesh or Australia.
Two investigations into Parvin’s death are ongoing — one by the AFP and another by Bangladeshi police.
AFP Commander Stephen Jay said police would allege that Hossain made multiple payments totalling more than $90,000 to people he knew in Bangladesh over a two-year period in an attempt to influence the Bangladeshi investigation.
Jay said some of the payments were allegedly intended for Bangladeshi police, but there was “absolutely no evidence” that any money reached officials or affected the investigation.
“We have not seen any change in the level of the support provided to us by Bangladeshi police,” he said.
“We remain really comfortable with the excellent cooperation we've had from Bangladesh authorities.”
Jay said the bribery allegations were “materially relevant” to the investigation into Parvin’s death, which he said was continuing “at speed”.
Evidence of the alleged bribery was uncovered during the existing investigation into her death.
“At the centre of this matter is the tragic death of a woman and our thoughts remain with her family and friends as they continue to seek answers,” Jay said.
Hossain’s lawyer, Torik Dib, said his client denied the allegations and would contest the charge.
“We will be applying for bail on his behalf while the matter is on foot,” Dib told the ABC.
“There are evidentiary deficiencies in the prosecution case which will be matters to be properly tested and determined before the Court.”
The AFP said the case is the first time it has brought an allegation of foreign bribery of a public official for personal advantage before an Australian court.
“If the AFP identifies evidence of attempts to bribe foreign government officials for personal gain you'll be investigated, you could be prosecuted and if convicted face a significant amount of time in incarceration,” Jay said.
Asked whether the AFP could charge someone with murder under strengthened Commonwealth powers, Jay said the relevant offence would be harming an Australian overseas.
“The Bangladesh investigation is ongoing,” he said.
A Bangladeshi police spokesperson said they were not aware of any official reports about the allegations against Hossain but thanked Australian police for their assistance.
“They have assisted us from the very beginning, which helped advance the investigation of the case,” the spokesperson said.