Bribery
Inqilab Khulna bureau chief jailed for 4 yrs
Staff Correspondent, Khulna
Khulna Speedy Trial Tribunal yesterday sentenced Khulna bureau chief of Dainik Inqilab and former president of Khulna Press Club ATM Rafique to four years' rigorous imprisonment and fined him Tk 10,000 in connection with receiving bribe. He is to stay in prison three more months if he failed to pay up the fine. He was found guilty of receiving bribe of Tk 20,000 from two officials of the Sundarbans Forest Division's (SFD) west wing. Magistrate Md Atiqul Haque handed down the verdict around 12:30pm yesterday. The entire court compound was brought under tight security during the delivery of the verdict. Large number of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) personnel and members of Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) were deployed there. Joint forces arrested Rafique at his office in the act of taking the money from deputy ranger Mahmudullah and tour assistant Yunus Ali on April 10 night. The prosecution said Rafique attempted to evade arrest during the raid at his office taking advantage of power cut. He was handed over to Sonadanga Police Station the same night after interrogation in a local army camp. Yunus Ali tour assistant of Sundarbans Forest Division west wing lodged a case with Sonadanga Police Station. Sub-inspector Obaidul Huq, the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet before the court on April 19. The charge was framed on April 22. Statements of 15 out of the 16 prosecution witnesses were recorded. The witnesses included three forest officials, four Rab personnel, three KMP men, the IO, a peon of Inquilab bureau office and four others.
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