3 former BTTB officials sentenced to 44 years in prison for embezzlement

A court has sentenced three former officials of the Bangladesh Telephone and Telegraph Board (BTTB) to 44 years of imprisonment each across various charges for embezzling Tk 1 crore from the organization's Chattogram office 27 years ago.

Judge Md. Mizanur Rahman of the Chattogram Divisional Special Judge's Court delivered the verdict on Monday, June 22. The convicts were absconding at the time of the announcement.

According to the judgment, each individual was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Tk 50 lakh under Section 409 of the Penal Code. They received an additional 7 years of imprisonment and a Tk 10 lakh fine under Section 420, and 10 years of imprisonment and a Tk 20 lakh fine under Section 467. Furthermore, the court handed down 5-year prison terms and Tk 5 lakh fines each under Sections 468 and 471, 5 years of imprisonment and a Tk 5 lakh fine under Section 477(A), and another 7 years of imprisonment along with a Tk 10 lakh fine under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The court ordered that all the sentences run concurrently.

The convicts have been identified as Mohammad Hossain, former upper division assistant-cum-cashier of BTTB; Md. Kamrul Alam, former divisional engineer; and Sadikur Rahman Khan, another former divisional engineer.

Advocate Rezaul Karim Roni, the Public Prosecutor (PP) for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), stated that the court found the allegations proven beyond a reasonable doubt after reviewing the testimonies of 13 witnesses, official documents, and other evidence.

According to the case files, the lawsuit was initially filed against the officials for financial embezzlement, forgery, and falsification of accounts during their tenure at the BTTB Chattogram office. Following a lengthy investigation and judicial process, the court found them guilty and delivered the sentences.