Railway-Gate Scandal: Suranjit's aide jailed for 5yrs
Omar Faruq Talukder, assistant personal secretary to former railway minister Suranjit Sengupta, was sentenced to five years in prison in a railway-gate case yesterday.
A Dhaka court found him guilty of amassing Tk 32 lakh illegally and fined him Tk 1.23 crore as well, in default of which he would have to serve another two and a half years. The court also confiscated a flat he owns in Dhanmondi.
On April 9, 2012, Bangladesh Railway microbus driver Ali Azam drove his vehicle to the BGB gate in Pilkhana and alerted the guards there that there was Tk 70 lakh stashed in the vehicle.
Faruq and Yusuf Ali Mridha, the suspended general manager of Bangladesh Railway (eastern zone), and railway's Dhaka Divisional Security Commandant Enamul Huq were in the vehicle which was reportedly going to Suranjit's Dhanmondi home.
BGB personnel arrested the three.
Suranjit eventually had to resign following the scandal.
After hearing 20 prosecution witnesses, judge (in-charge) Md Ataur Rahman of the Special Judge Court-4 pronounced the judgment and cancelled Faruq's bail.
The court acquitted him of the charge for concealing wealth.
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Assistant Director Rashedur Reza filed the case against Faruq with Ramna Model Police Station for his alleged involvement in acquiring wealth of Tk 32,50,000 through illegal means and concealing wealth of Tk 3,04,980 from the ACC.
After the investigation, the ACC pressed charges against Faruq on November 26, 2012. The court framed charges against him on May 16, 2013.