The Meghna Group of Industries (MGI), a leading business group in the country, has protested a report published in a newspaper on November 25 titled "Meghna Group Sells Nissan Safari Priced at 10 Crore Taka for 1.5 Crore."
In a statement, MGI expressed its strong denial of the false and defamatory allegations in the report, which it claims is entirely fabricated and misleading. MGI strongly resents the content of the article.
The report falsely claimed that the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate had accused MGI of tax evasion regarding a Nissan-branded car. It further alleged that MGI had imported the car as parts and assembled it locally, which MGI asserts is illogical and absurd, given that Nissan is a globally renowned car brand.
The report also falsely claimed that MGI had imported the car at a price of 7-8 crore taka, which MGI categorically denies. It was also stated that MGI could not submit any relevant documents, which is completely untrue and misleading.
MGI clarified that it had locally purchased the car (Dhaka Metro-Gha-15-2324) from Pacific Motors Ltd. for Tk 2.95 crore on February 15, 2016. According to the bill of entry, Pacific Motors Ltd. was the importer of the car, not MGI. Subsequently, MGI sold the car for Tk 1.35 crore on December 21, 2022, meaning the car is no longer under MGI's ownership. Therefore, the price quoted in the report was entirely fabricated.
MGI has officially informed the Director General of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate in a letter dated November 25, 2024, the same day the report was published.
Additionally, MGI noted that the defamatory report deliberately ignored the specific date when the authority began its investigation into the matter. The process of gathering the necessary documents for submission to the concerned authority requires time. However, the report was hastily published, seemingly without verifying the facts, with the intention of tarnishing MGI's reputation. This constitutes a gross violation of the principles of ethical journalism.
As a renowned corporate business and industrial group, MGI paid Tk 5,000 crore in revenue to the government last year, has invested billions in various sectors, and generated employment for over 50,000 people.
In its statement, MGI urged the media to refrain from publishing false, baseless, fabricated, unethical, unfounded, and motivated reports against the group.
Otherwise, MGI will be compelled to take appropriate legal action against such reports.
