Court Correspondent: A court in Dhaka has jailed nine accused including a former managing director of state-owned Sonali Bank Limited for 17 years for embezzling Tk 27.5 lakh.
Judge Md Iqbal Hossain of the Special Sessions Judge Court-5, Dhaka, handed down the verdict on Sunday.
However, they will have to suffer imprisonment for 10 years as the punishment given under two sentences will continue simultaneously.
Besides, each of the convicts was fined Tk 50,000, in default, more one month’s jail. The court also ordered to realise the embezzled money from 10 convicts equally and seize the amount in favour of the state.
The convicts are Sonali Bank’s former Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Humayun Kabir, Deputy Managing Director (DMD) Mainul Huque, former General Manager (GM) Noni Gopal Nath, Deputy General Manager (DGM) Shafiz Uddin Ahmed, DGM Sheikh Altaf Hossain, Assistant General Manager (AGM) Md Kamrul Hossain Khan and executive officer Md Abdul Matin.
The three other convicts are Saiful Islam Raza, managing director of Paragon Knit Composite Ltd, a sister concern of Hall-Mark Group, Abdullah Al Mamun, director of Paragon Knit, and Md Makbul Hossain, proprietor of Mondal Traders.
During the pronouncement of the verdict, DMD Mainul Huque, former DGM Shafiz Uddin Ahmed, DGM Sheikh Altaf Hossain and AGM Kamrul Hossain Khan were present on the dock.
Following the pronouncement of the verdict, teh convicts were taken to prison. On the other hand, five other convicts have remained absconding. The court also issued arrest warrants against them.
The case statement says that Mujibur Rahman, the then deputy director of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case at Ramna Model Police Station in the capital on January 1, 2013 on charge of embezzling Tk 27 lakh 50 thousand 681. After investigating the case, ACC assistant director Mashiur Rahman submitted chargesheet to court on May 22, 2014.