14 years imprisonment for 8 including former chairman of RAJUK

The court has sentenced eight persons including former chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) Iqbal Uddin Chowdhury to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment each in the case of corruption in plot allocation in Purbachal Residential Project of the organisation. At the same time each of the accused has been fined 20 lakh taka.

Judge of Special Judge Court-9 of Dhaka Md Abdus Salam gave this verdict on Tuesday (October 13). Bench assistant of the concerned court Saiful Islam Mithu confirmed the matter.

The other convicted accused are former members of RAJUK S. D. Fayez, A. K. M. Wahedul Islam, S. M. Zafar Ullah, H. M. Zahurul Haque, Md Rezaul Karim Torofdar, Managing Director of Ambar Group Shawkat Aziz and Ashfak Aziz.

In the verdict of the case as the allegation under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1947 and Section 409 of the Penal Code was proved each of the accused has been given a total of 14 years of rigorous imprisonment by giving seven years under each of the two sections.

Besides each has been fined a total of 20 lakh taka by giving 10 lakh taka under each of the two sections. They will have to suffer another one year of rigorous imprisonment in default of the fine.

It has been mentioned in the verdict that the sentences of the two sections will run concurrently. On the other hand as the allegation under Section 420 of the Penal Code was not proved the accused have been acquitted from that section.

Besides the court has given the order of cancelling the allocation of Plot No 011 and 013 of Road-405 of Sector-1 of Purbachal allocated in the names of Shawkat Aziz and Ashfak Aziz and confiscating those in favour of the state.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on February 8, 2017 on the allegation of allocating and taking plots of 20 katha land in Purbachal by exerting influence. Then Deputy Assistant Director of ACC Silvia Ferdous filed the case as the plaintiff.

It has been said in the allegation of the case that the accused allocated two plots of a total of 20 katha by giving 10 katha each in the names of Shawkat Aziz and Ashfak Aziz in Purbachal in collusion with each other. It has been alleged that financial loss of the state has been caused by this.

ACC submitted the charge sheet to the court after finishing the investigation. Later the court gave the order of framing charges against the accused and starting the trial. During the trial of the case the testimonies of a total of nine witnesses were taken on behalf of the state.