Jamuna Bank ex-chairman’s jail term upheld, Tk 15.5 crore fined

The High Court today upheld a lower court verdict that sentenced Jamuna Bank’s former chairman Arifur Rahman to one year imprisonment and fined him Tk 15.5 crore in a case filed over cheque forgery.

The bench of Justice Md Rais Uddin rejected an appeal filed by Arifur Rahman challenging the lower court judgement in the case.

According to the case statements, Arifur Rahman took Taka 15 crore in cash from Borak Real Estate and gave a cheque to the company in return against the money in 2011. Later on, the company tried to deposit the cheque but it bounced back from the bank.

Borak Real Estate in 2012 filed the case with a magistrate court in Dhaka.

On January 24, 2016, the Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge of Dhaka delivered the verdict saying that Arifur Rahman will have to suffer one year’s imprisonment and is fined Tk 15.5 core.

The complainant (Borak Real Estate) will get the amount of cheque value i.e Tk 15 crore from the fine and the rest will be deposited in favour of the government.

Citing from the HC verdict, Advocate SM Baksh Kollol, a lawyer for Borak Real Estate, told The Daily Star that Arifur Rahman has already deposited Tk 7.5 crore to the government before filing appeal with the HC against the lower court verdict.

Arifur Rahman will have to deposit the rest Tk 7.5 Core to the bank account of Borak Real Estate and to deposit Tk 50 lakh to the account of deputy commissioner of Dhaka in next 60 days, he said.

Advocate Kollol said Arifur Rahman will have to suffer imprisonment following the HC verdict.

Ariful had got bail from the HC in the case, but the order of his bail has been cancelled following yesterday’s verdict, Kollol added.

Advocate AF Hasan Ariff appeared for Borak Real Estate, while Advocate Delwar Hossain Laskar stood for Arifur Rahman.