Recovery of Tk 80 lakh: ACC presses charges against suspended DIG of prisons

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) today pressed charges against Partha Gopal Banik, suspended deputy inspector general (prisons) of Sylhet division, in a case filed over the recovery of Tk 80 lakh from his residence in Dhaka.

ACC Deputy Director Md Salauddin, also the investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka.

Fourteen people have been made prosecution witnesses in the charge sheet.

In the charge sheet, the IO said the charges brought against Partha of illegally acquiring wealth through money laundering were primarily proved and he should be brought under trial.

Judge KM Emrul Kayesh fixed August 31 to decide whether to accept the charge sheet or not.

On July 29 last year, ACC Director Mohammad Yousuf quizzed Partha over allegations that he committed irregularities and corruption as DIG (prisons) of Chattogram division. The interrogation continued at ACC headquarters for about four hours.

After interrogation, the ACC team, accompanied by Partha, went to his Green Road residence and recovered the money.

They later detained him and showed him arrested after the case was filed against him on the same day.

The following day, Partha was sent to jail after he was produced before a Dhaka court.

On October 26, 2018 Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel arrested a jailer of Chattogram Central Jail, Sohel Rana Biswas, and recovered Tk 44 lakh in cash, documents showing fixed deposit accounts worth Tk 2.5 crore, and cheques of Tk 1.3 crore issued in favour of him, and 12 bottles of Phensedyl.

Sohel was going to his hometown in Mymensingh by train from Chattogram.

Two cases were filed over the incident, one for money laundering and the other for carrying drugs.

At that time, Partha was DIG (prisons) of Chattogram division, and Prasanta Gopal Banik was senior jail super of Chattogram Central Jail.

An investigation launched by prison authorities found that a section of Chattogram prison officials were involved in the incident. As per recommendations of the committee, several prison guards and senior officials were transferred.