Charges framed against Rajshahi, Khulna mayors

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Charges were framed yesterday against Rajshahi Mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu in an extortion case and Khulna Mayor Sheikh Tayebur Raman in two cases filed under the Arms Act and the Narcotics Control Act.

Rajshahi Additional District and Sessions Judge’s court framed charges against four persons including the Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) mayor and former BNP lawmaker Mizanur Rahman Minu in the Tk 1 crore extortion case.

The other accused are district BNP vice president and former president of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (RCCI) Lutfar Rahman, and his brothers Fazlur Rahman and Bazlur Rahman.

The court acquitted three other accused of extortion charges following a petition of the investigation officer (IO).

Minu and Lutfar were produced before court while the other two accused are on the run.

Judge Lutfa Begum fixed January 7 for trial.

Businessman Nurunnabi of Durgapur upazila filed the case against six persons on August 6 for extorting Tk 1 crore from him.

Sub-inspector (SI) Saiful Islam, also the IO of the case, pressed charges against Minu on September 27 dropping the names of former RCCI president Lutfar’s personal aide Kundu Babu, manager Jahir Uddin, and business partner Mosharraf Hossain from the charge sheet.

The plaintiff said his business partner Lutfar, also former director of Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank, took Tk 18 lakh from him as bribe for releasing a loan of Tk 10 crore.

After Nurunnabi invested Tk 1.25 crore in the business, Lutfar asked him to sell his shares and threatened him citing Minu’s name.

Later, Lutfar and his accomplices forced Nurunnabi to sign papers for selling his stakes in Jamuna Seed Cold Storage Private Ltd on October 19, 2004.

Lutfar paid Nurunnabi Tk 43 lakh while about Tk 1 crore remained unpaid.

Minu was shown arrested in the case after Lutfar gave a confessional statement on August 14 disclosing Minu’s involvement in the extortion.

KHULNA MAYOR
Meanwhile, the Khulna District and Sessions Judge’s court framed charges against KCC mayor Tayebur in two cases.

Tayebur was brought to the court at about 10:45 am and sent back to the Khulna District Jail at 11:30am.

The court rejected his bail plea. However, it did not make any decision on the petition submitted by the defence lawyers for sending him to Dhaka for better medical treatment.

The judge fixed January 9 and 14 for the hearing of the arms case and the narcotics case respectively.

SI Shibupada Dutta, also IO of the arms case, submitted charge sheet against the KCC mayor to the CMM court on December 25 last year showing 15 persons as prosecution witnesses.

The charge sheet of the narcotics case against Tayebur was submitted by SI Masudur Rahman of Khulna Police Station the same day.

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