High Court Orders Action Against Illegal Sports Broadcasting and Money Laundering

Staff Reporter

A High Court bench comprising Justice Fahmida Kadir and Justice Mubinul Asaf has directed immediate action against the illegal acquisition and broadcasting of cricket rights through T Sports, Nagorik TV, and Banglalink’s Toffee app.

The court issued the order following allegations of money laundering and tax evasion against Dubai-based company Total Sports Marketing (TSM) and fugitive DIG Syed Nurul Islam.

DIG Nurul, a police officer (currently on the run) who was on duty during the July movement, established TSM in Dubai through his close relative Moinul Haque Chowdhury.

Using illegal funds obtained through corruption, TSM acquired broadcasting rights for various cricket tournaments, including the ICC World Cup 2024 held in the USA and West Indies, and the recently concluded Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai and Pakistan.

Funds were illegally transferred from Bangladesh to the ICC primarily through hundi and partially through under-invoicing, bypassing banking channels and evading government taxes.

Dubai-based TSM, which changed its name to Total Sports Management in Bangladesh to evade regulators, supplied these broadcasting rights to Bangladeshi broadcasters. Banglalink, T Sports, and Nagorik TV aired these programs despite being aware of the illegal sources of DIG Nurul’s corrupt funds, as reported in various media outlets.

The court has instructed the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to investigate the matter immediately and take necessary action.

The notice also revealed DIG Nurul’s involvement in the 2014 abduction case of prominent environmental activist and current interim government advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan’s husband, Abu Bakar Siddique.

The court’s directive came after Supreme Court lawyer Omar Faruq Anik filed a notice seeking justice against DIG Nurul’s illegal activities.