Bangladesh News

A special court yesterday jailed former state minister for law barrister Shahjahan Omar for 13 years for amassing wealth illegally and concealing information in his wealth statement submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The court dealing with graft cases also sentenced his wife Mehjabin Farjana Omar to three years’ imprisonment for abetting him and keeping the ill-gotten wealth in her possession.

Another special court yesterday sentenced detained Daily Janakantha Editor Atiqullah Khan Masud to seven years imprisonment in yet another case filed against him on charge of forging a Rajuk approval for a building design.

The court also fined Atiqullah Tk 1,22,44,200 in default of which he would have to serve another year in jail.

Meanwhile, another court sentenced former AL lawmaker Mokbul Hossain’s son Masudur Rahman to 13 years imprisonment for amassing wealth beyond his known sources of income and concealing information in his wealth statement.

The court also sentenced Masudur’s wife Salma Rahman to three years’ imprisonment for abetting her husband in accumulating wealth by illegal means.

CASE OF SHAHJAHAN
Shahjahan, who received gallantry award Bir Uttam for his contributions to the 1971 Liberation War, was also fined Tk 10 lakh. He will have to remain behind bars for one more years if he failed to pay the fine.

His wife has also been fined Tk 5 lakh, in default of which she will spend another six months in prison.

The judge also issued orders for confiscating all his ill-gotten property worth about Tk 2.06 crore.

The court however acquitted their son Adnan Omar as charges brought against him could not be proved.

Judge Kamaluzzaman of the Special Court-9, set up on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises, delivered the judgment.

The Shahjahan couple was tried in absentia as they are both on the run since filing of the case. The court ordered that the verdict would take effect from the day of their arrest or surrender before the court.

Shahjahan was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for amassing wealth beyond known sources of income and another three years for concealing information in his wealth statement.

He would have to serve 13 years in jail, as the verdict would take effect consecutively.

ACC Assistant Director Sheikh Mesbahuddin filed the case on September 27 last year against Shahjahan on charges of concealing about Tk 2.64 crore in wealth statement and amassing about Tk 46.19 lakh illegally.

His wife and son have been made co-accused in the case filed with Gulshan Police Station for abetting him in accumulating ill-gotten wealth.

The case was filed under section 26 (2), 27 (1) of the ACC Act 2004, section 109 of Bangladesh Penal Code and 15 (Gha) (5) of the Emergency Power Rules, 2007.

ACC Deputy Assistant Director Aftab Uddin, who is also investigation officer of the case, pressed charges against Shahjahan, his wife and son showing 28 people as prosecution witnesses on February 20.

A Dhaka court issued arrest warrants against the Shahjahan family on February 24.

CASE AGAINST ATIQULLAH
The special court dealing with the graft case against Janakantha editor Atiqullah also sentenced ATM Kamruzzaman Khan, authorised officer of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), to seven years on the same charge and assisting Atiqullah in getting a fake Rajuk approval for the building.

Judge Amar Kumar Roy of the Special Court-2 delivered the judgment in the fifth case of its kind against Atiqullah Khan Masud.

Atiquallh has now been sentenced to 48 years jail term in total by separate courts.

Earlier, he was sentenced to 34 years’ imprisonment, seven years in each of the three cases filed against him for forging a design approval from Rajuk, and 13 years imprisonment for amassing wealth beyond his known sources of income and concealing information in his wealth statement.

The two were also fined Tk 9.37 crore, in default of which they have to suffer six months more in jail. The convicted will have to pay the fine jointly.

ATM Kamruzzaman Khan was tried in absentia as he has been absconding since the case has been filed.

Mahmud Hasan, deputy assistant director of the Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC), filed the case with Motijheel PS against Atiqullah for faking a Rajuk approval for a building design.

According to the case statement, Atiqullah Khan applied to Rajuk on April 19 in 1999 for construction of a 15-storied building on DIT road in Malibagh. Following the application, Kamruzzaman prepared a building design and a fake approval from Rajuk and handed over the design to Atiqullah.

Later, Atiqullah collected Tk 1,22, 44,000 from 17 persons to construct the building showing the fake Rajuk approval.

Joint forces arrested Atiqullah Masud from the Janakantha building in capital’s Eskaton area on March 7 last year.

CASE AGAINST MASUDUR
The special court, designed to adjudicate graft charges, also fined Masudur Tk 10 lakh in default of which he would have to serve another year in jail. His wife Salma was fined Tk 1 lakh in default of which she will have to spend six more months in jail.

Judge Sirajul Islam of Special Judge’s Court-7 also ordered confiscation of Masudur’s property worth Tk 6,21,82,285 amassed through illegal means.

Earlier, another court sentenced Mokbul Hossain to 13 years imprisonment for amassing wealth by illegal means and concealing information from ACC. Mokbul’s wife was sentenced to three years imprisonment for abetting her husband.

Masud and his wife were tried in absentia as they have been absconding since the case was filed against them. The court ordered that the verdict would take effect from the day of their arrest or surrender before the court.

Masudur was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for amassing wealth illegally and another three years for concealing information in his wealth statement submitted to the ACC.

Masudur will have to serve 13 years’ in jail, as the verdicts will be effective consecutively.

ACC assistant director Jahangir Alam filed the case against Masudur Rahman with Ramna thana on November 30 last year accusing him of accumulating Tk 5.86 crore beyond his known sources of income and concealing information about wealth worth Tk 67 lakh in his wealth statement.

His wife Salma was indicted in the case for abetting her husband.

Jahangir Alam, also the IO of the case, submitted the charge sheet in the case on April 10 this year, showing 23 people as prosecution witnesses. A Dhaka court, later also issued arrest warrant against the couple.