Forest gobbler Gani, Zabiullah jailed

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A special court yesterday sentenced detained former chief conservator of forest (CCF) Osman Gani to 12 years’ imprisonment for amassing wealth illegally and concealing information in his wealth statement submitted to the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC).

Meanwhile, former environment secretary Ismail Zabiullah was sentenced to 13 years’ rigorous imprisonment (RI) in a similar corruption case.

OSMAN GANI
Judge AKM Arifur Rahman of the Special Court-10 handed down three years’ imprisonment to Osman Gani’s fugitive wife Mohsenara Gani for aiding and abetting her husband in accumulating and protecting illegal wealth.

The court also fined Osman Tk 10 lakh. In default, he will have to serve jail term for one more year.

Mohsenara was fined Tk 1,00,000, and in default she will have to remain in jail for another six months.

The special court on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises also ordered the authorities to confiscate wealth worth Tk 1.80 crore of Osman, and Tk 2.80 crore and 270 tolas of gold ornaments of his wife.

The former forest chief was awarded 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for amassing wealth illegally, and three years’ for hiding information about his wealth in the statement he submitted to the ACC. The sentences will run concurrently.

As Mohsenara is absconding, her sentences will come into effect from the day of her arrest or surrender.

ACC Deputy Director Golam Shahriar Chowdhury filed the case with Uttara Police Station on July 26 last year.

In the case, Osman and his wife were accused of concealing wealth worth around Tk 4.30 crore.

In the wealth statement submitted to the ACC, the couple showed assets worth Tk 3,70,15,000. But the ACC later found more assets worth around Tk 4.30 crore.

The court framed charges against them on December 13 last year.

Joint forces arrested Osman at his Uttara house in the capital on May 29 last year and seized Tk 1 crore in cash that he had hidden in the house.

The law enforcers also found that the money, in several types of currencies, was hidden inside a rice drum in the kitchen and a pillow on the balcony and at other places in the use. They also recovered two passports of the former forest chief during the nine-hour raid.

CASE AGAINST ZABIULLAH
Judge Sirajul Islam of Special Court-7, set up on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises, awarded Ismail Zabiullah 10 years’ imprisonment for amassing wealth illegally and another three years for hiding wealth information in his wealth statement submitted to the ACC.

The court also jailed Ismail’s wife Ayesha Zabiullah to three years’ imprisonment for abetting her husband in accumulating wealth illegally.

The former secretary was also fined Tk 10 lakh, in default of which he has to suffer one more year in prison while his wife Ayesha was fined Tk 1 lakh in default of which she has to spend six more months in jail.

The court ordered the authorities concerned to confiscate his ill-gotten assets as the couple has been on the run.

Their sentences will come into effect on the day of their arrest or surrender.

ACC Assistant Director Helal Uddin Sharif filed the case against the two with Ramna Police Station on November 5 last year for amassing wealth illegally and concealing information in the wealth statement submitted to the commission.

In the first information report (FIR), the complainant said Ismail accumulated Tk 1.29 crore beyond his known sources of income and also concealed information about his wealth worth Tk 1.16 crore in the wealth statement.

Charges were framed against the couple on April 7 this year.

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