Bribery accused denies link to wife's death overseas
The first man charged under new foreign bribery laws has denied having anything to do with his wife's death overseas.
Awlad Hossain, 51, had his case mentioned for the first time on Wednesday in Brisbane Magistrates Court following his arrest on Monday.
The Redbank Plains man is accused of sending more than $90,000 in an attempt to bribe officials in Bangladesh and stop police linking him to the death of his wife in that country.
He was not required to appear in person and was remanded in custody to allow time for his lawyer to obtain supporting material for a bail application.
Hossain would contest the attempted bribery charge and had not been contacted about any criminal proceedings regarding his wife's death, defence solicitor Torik Dib said outside court.
He was in a state of "shock and concern" after his arrest and denied any involvement in his wife's death, Mr Dib said.
Rehana Parvin, an Australian-Bangladeshi dual national, was found dead by Bangladeshi police in September 2024.
The discovery was made a day after Australian Federal Police began investigating her disappearance, reported to Queensland police.
Federal police allege Hossain sent multiple transfers totalling more than $90,000 over two years to people known to him in Bangladesh.
He allegedly instructed those people to bribe officials to influence the probe including to remove his name from police records.
"There was some suggestion that part of the payments were intended for police," federal police commander Stephen Jay said in Brisbane on Tuesday.
"I would like to emphasise the material we have obtained indicates the alleged attempts to influence the criminal investigation in Bangladesh were not successful."
Hossain is the first in Australia to be charged with foreign bribery of a public official for personal advantage, after federal laws were strengthened in 2024, Cmdr Jay said.
In court on Wednesday, Hossain's lawyer asked for more time to obtain the 51-year-old's letter of employment.
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