219 politicians, businessmen, family members jailed so far

At least 219 people, mostly involved in politics, have so far been jailed for varying terms in the ongoing drive of the interim government against high-profile corruption and serious crimes.The convicts include seven former ministers, 12 former lawmakers and five businessmen.(NewageBD)

Courts sentenced them to imprisonment, fined them Tk 19.28 crore in all and ordered confiscation of their wealth of an aggregate of Tk 130 crore.

Fourteen of the convicts were jailed for amassing illegal wealth, 4 for not submitting wealth statements defying the Anti-Corruption Commission notification, 16 for evading taxes, 7 for bribery, 41 for extortion, 20 for cheating, 5 for owning illegal arms, 25 for patronising militancy, 1 for possessing illegal liquor and 90 for setting fire to and vandalising houses in Natore.

The convicts include 6 businessmen, 2 business house employees, 3 policemen, 2 engineers and 208 political party leaders and activists.

Of the convicts, involved in politics, eight are of the Awami League, 1 of the Jatiya Party and the remaining 198 are of the BNP that ruled the country between October 2001 and October 2006.

The special judge?s courts, set up on the Jatiya Sangsad Complex to try high-profile corruption suspects, delivered verdicts in eight cases, filed by the commission for amassing illegal wealth and hiding information in wealth statements since May, when the courts started functioning.

In the verdicts, the courts jailed eight people ? former Awami League minister Mohammad Nasim, former AL sate minister Mahiuddin Khan Alamgir, former BNP state ministers Amanullah Aman and Mir Nasiruddin, former BNP lawmakers Manjurul Ahsan Munshi and Ali Asgar Lobi, Awami Swechchhasebak League general secretary Pankaj Devnath and telephone board CBA leader Firoz Miah ? for 13 years and ordered confiscation of their wealth of Tk 70.93 crore for amassing wealth beyond their known sources of income and hiding information. Firoz Miah is also involved with the BNP.

The courts also jailed five others ? Nasim?s wife Laila Arzumand Banu, Aman?s wife Sabera Aman, Nasir?s son Mir Helaluddin and Pankaj?s wife Monika Devnath ? for three years for abetting them in the crimes. The convicts were also fined Tk 1.8 crore in all.

Another court in Chittagong jailed former BNP lawmaker Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan for 20 years, fined him Tk 10,000 and ordered confiscation of his wealth of Tk 6.36 crore.

The special anti-graft courts of Dhaka also jailed former BNP minister Nazmul Huda for seven years, his wife Sigma Huda for three years, and three police officers of the Fatullah police station for seven years for bribery, and ordered confiscation of Tk 2.4 crore and Tk 14.80 lakh Huda and the three policemen took in bribe respectively.

The special courts also jailed former prime minister Khaleda Zia?s political secretary Harris Chowdhury, former AL lawmakers Joynal Hazari and Shamim Osman and businessman Gaisuddin Al Mamun, also a close aide of Khladea?a eldest son Tarique Rahman, for three years for not submitting their wealth statements defying the commission notification.

A Rajshahi court jailed former BNP minister Aminul Huq, Rajshahi city BNP leader Shish Mohammad and 23 others for 31 years on charge of patronising militancy.

A Natore court jailed former deputy minister M Ruhul Kuddus Talukdar Dulu, his elder brother Nurunnabi Talukdar and cousin Atikur Rahman Talukdar for 8 years, and 87 leaders and activists of the Natore district unit BNP, including 16 relatives of Dulu, for 7 years for looting and vandalising 30 houses and 18 shops at Ramsa Kazipur and Amtali Bazar in Natore.

Of the 41 convicts on extortion charges, Rajshahi mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu and 10 others were jailed for 13 years, former BNP lawmaker Nadim Mostafa and 16 others for 10 years, former BNP lawmaker for a Barguna constituency Matiur Rahman for 17 years, former BNP lawmaker for a Chapainawabganj constituency Shahjahan Miah and two other local BNP leaders for 5 years, his wife Ashifa Ashrafi Papiya for 5 years, former BNP lawmaker Naser Rahman, son of former finance minister Saifur Rahman, for 9 years, (in the same case) two engineers and a local BNP leader for 5 years, Dhaka city ward commissioner and city BNP leader Chowdhury Alam for 10 years each in two cases, his wife Hasina Chowdhury for 10 years, Khagrachari municipal chairman and BNP leader Belayet Bhaiyan for 5 years and Kamalganj municipal chairman of Moulvibazar, Hasin Afroze Chaudhury, for 5 years.

They were also fined Tk 4.26 lakh in all.

The 16 convicted on charge of tax evasion include former minister Shahjahan Siraj, his wife Rabeya Siraj, son Rajib Siraj and daughter-in-law Farzana Khan, Ali Asgar Lobi, former lawmaker Mosaddak Ali Falu?s wife Mahbuba Sultana, former housing minister Mirza Abbas?s wife Afroza Abbas, his brother Mirza Khokon and former state minister and AL joint secretary Obaidul Kader?s wife Isratunnisa and revenue board official ATM Sarwar Hossain. The court ordered confiscation of their wealth of about Tk 28 crore in all and some landed property and fined them about Tk 6.3 crore in all.

The Bashundhara Group chairman, Ahmed Akbar Sobhan Shah Alam, his wife Afroza Begum and three sons Saadat Sobhan, Shafayet Sobhan and Sayem Sobhan have also been jailed for eight years for tax evasion.

The owner of a chartered accounting firm, SM Quddus, was also jailed for three years for abetting the Bashundhara Group in the offence. The court also ordered confiscation of about Tk 22.05 crore and fined the group Tk 8.3 crore in all.

Jatiya party faction chairman Anwar Hossain Manju was jailed for five years in a case filed under the narcotics control act.

Of the 20 convicted of cheating, former BNP lawmaker Nadim Mostafa and 16 others were jailed for 5 years, BNP lawmaker Matiur Rahman for 17 years, Dupchanchia municipal chairman in Bogra, Jahangir Alam, for 2 years, and JSS leader of Rangamati, Zahir Ahmed, for 17 years.

Dhaka city ward commissioner, BNP leader Monwar Hossain Dipjol, also an actor, was jailed for 17 years and his wife Romana Monwar for 7 years, former BNP lawmaker for a Barisal constituency Abul Hossain Khan for 7 years, former BNP lawmaker for a Patuakhali constituency Shahidul Alam Talukder for 10 years and businessman Gaisuddin Al Mamun for 10 years for possessing illegal arms.

Former state minister for power Anwarul Kabir Talukder was fined Tk 40 lakh by the Chittagong customs authority in tax-free vehicle case. He has, however, not been jailed.

Moreover, 115 politicians, including former prime ministers Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, and former ministers and lawmakers, are now detained in jail and facing a number of cases filed after January 11. About a hundred more, including some of the convicts, are still in hiding.

The commission has so far notified 142 high-profile corruption suspects to submit their wealth statements. It has filed 33 cases for amassing illegal wealth. The courts have so far given verdicts in eight of such cases and in four cases for not filing the wealth statements.