Embezzlement: Union social worker jailed for four years

A Faridpur court yesterday sentenced a former union social worker to four years’ imprisonment in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over misappropriation of Tk 78,870.

 Mujibur Rahman, public prosecutor (PP) of ACC in Faridpur, said, “The convict is Mollah Farid Iqbal, 56, former union social worker of Paikkand and Suktail unions under Sadar upazila in Gopalganj.”

On charge of embezzlement by the convict, present before the court, Judge Md Motiur Rahman of Special Judge’s Court in Faridpur handed him two years’ jail term and a fine of Tk 78,870. In default of paying the fine, the convict will have to serve three additional months in jail.

On charge of corruption, the judge gave Mollah Farid another two years of jail term and a fine of Tk 2,000. A default in payment of the fine will result in an additional jail term of one month more, the PP said. 

According to the case statement, while working as a union social worker in Paikkand and Suktail unions, Mollah Farid Iqbal collected Tk 1,76,070 in loan payments from different borrowers. But he misappropriated Tk 78,870 of the collection by depositing Tk 97,200 in his office accounts.

Later, Rafiqul Islam, then upazila social services officer, requested the ACC office in Faridpur to investigate into the matter. After investigation, Harun-ar-Roshid, then ACC inspector, filed the case with Gopalganj Sadar Police Station on December 7, 2003, against Mollah Farid.