Abuse of power: Ex-joint secy gets 5-yr jail

A Dhaka court today sentenced former joint secretary to the National Housing Authority (NHA) Rafiqul Mohammed to five years’ jail in a case filed for allotting a government plot to a person by making forged documents in February 1997.

The court also gave three years’ imprisonment to Moral Kafil Uddin, upper division assistant, and Abdul Zalil Khandaker, lower division assistant cum typist of NHA.

Judge Shaikh Nazmul Alam of the Special Judge Court-4 of Dhaka handed down the sentence in presence of the convicts who were on bail in the case.

After the verdict, the court cancelled their bails and sent them to jail with conviction warrant for serving their jail term.

The court also fined Rafiqul Tk 25,000, in default of which he will have to suffer three months more in jail.

The two other convicts were fined Tk 10,000 each, in default of which they will have to suffer three more months in jail.  

During the trial, the court recorded statements of four prosecution witnesses including the complainant of the case.

According to the case statement, one of the accused Abul Hashem Mollah, who died during the trial, took re-allotment of a government plot concealing information and showing fake papers. The convicts embezzled government property in collusion with each other and abusing power for their personal benefit.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Inspector Md Roisuddin filed the case against the four people with Ramna Police Station on June 30, 2003.

After an investigation into the matter, ACC Deputy Director Reva Halder submitted a charge sheet against them on March 15, 2009 and the court framed charges against them on October 26, 2009.