Graft: BPDB ex-chief engineer sent to jail

A Dhaka court today sent a former top official of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) to jail after rejecting his bail in two corruption cases filed against him by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Metropolitan Magistrate Kazi Kamrul Islam passed the order after Shahidul Alam, former chief engineer of BPDB, surrendered before the court accompanied by his lawyer seeking bail in the cases.

During the hearing today, Shahidul’s lawyer said the High Court granted his client a six-week ad-interim bail in the cases on November 6 last year and also directed Shahidul to surrender before the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court of Dhaka after the period expires.

As per the HC directives, the accused surrendered before the Sessions Court on December 27 last year and secured bail till March 1. But as he did not appear before the court on the scheduled date, it directed the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court of Dhaka to issue arrest warrants against him, the lawyer said.

The CMM court on March 14 issued arrest warrants against Shahidul in the cases, the lawyer said, adding that following the order his client appeared before the court and sought bail. 

On August 25 last year, the ACC filed the two cases against Shahidul -- one for acquiring illegal wealth and the other for laundering an amount of Tk 1.70 crore -- with Kalabagan and Ramna police stations respectively.

According to the prosecution of the first case filed with Ramna Police Station, the ACC found that Shahidul acquired wealth through illegal means when he worked at the BPDB.

Scrutinising his wealth report submitted to it, the ACC found that Shahidul accumulated illegal wealth worth over Tk 24 lakh, which was not mentioned in his wealth statement.

According to the case statementof the second case filed with Kalabagan Police Station,Shahidul opened accounts in different banks hiding his identity and deposited over Tk 1.80 crore, which he earned through illegal means, to these accounts.

Later, he withdrew Tk 1.70 crore from the banks and transferred to bank accounts of other people, the statement added.