Arif Hasan | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Occupation | Television executive |
| Known for | Managing Director of Desh TV |
Arif Hasan is a Bangladeshi television executive who serves as the Managing Director of Desh TV, a private television channel in Bangladesh. [1] He is also the General Secretary of the Association of Television Channel Owners. [1] [2] He was detained after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government. [3] His arrest was part of a larger trend of replacing previous journalists and editors in mainstream media organizations with those loyal to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. [3]
In 2011, Hasan was the Deputy Managing Director of Desh TV. [4] [5]
The Supreme Court chamber judge has stayed a High Court order that directed the release of 15 frozen bank accounts belonging to Hasan, then Desh TV managing director, and his company Hasan Telecom, until 21 August 2023. [6] The accounts were frozen in 2020 following an Anti-Corruption Commission investigation into alleged suspicious transactions and money laundering. [6] The Anti-Corruption Commission challenged the High Court verdict, and the matter will now be heard by the full bench of the Appellate Division on August 21. [6] In October, the Bangladesh Supreme Court ordered the Anti-Corruption Commission to submit it's report on money laundering allegation against Hasan. [7]
In September 2024, Orion Group filed a 10 billion BDT defamation case against Desh TV. [8] In November, Hasan was elected general secretary of the Association of Television Channel Owners. [9] But no presidential candidate was elected as both candidates, Mohammad Mosaddak Ali and Abdul Haque, received the same number of votes. [10]
On 16 November 2024, Hasan was detained from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport while trying to leave the country. [11] Hasan was placed on a two-day police remand by a metropolitan magistrate court in Dhaka in connection with a case filed over an alleged attempted murder during the protests against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 19 July 2024. [12] According to police, Arif Hasan was detained by Airport Police while reportedly trying to leave the country. [12] He was later handed over to the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. [12] The remand was sought to interrogate Hasan about the whereabouts of other accused individuals in the case. [12] Journalist couple Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed were also detained around the same time. [13]
The case was filed by the father of a protester named Md Sajib, who was injured during an attack on a student procession near Uttara Scholastica School on 19 July. [12] The attack was allegedly carried out by activists affiliated with the ruling Awami League and its associate organisations. [12] Sajib was among several injured and was admitted to Uttara Adhunik Hospital. [12] Hasan’s defence claimed that he was not present at the scene of the incident and that the case was an attempt to harass him. [12] The court denied bail and granted a two-day remand. [12] In February 2025, the Anti-Corruption Commission recommended filing embezzlement charges against Hasan over various loans from banks, including loans to his company, Hasan Telecom. [14] [15] They filed the charges against Hasan and officials of the National Bank Limited, including directors Monowara Sikder, and Parveen Haque Sikder. [16] Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Zakir Hossain Galib issued a travel ban against Hasan. [17]