Papia, her husband get 27 years in arms case
Much-talked-about expelled Jubo Mohila League leader Shamima Nur Papia and her husband Mofizur Rahman Sumon have been sentenced to 27 years' rigorous imprisonment in an arms case.
Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of the Special Tribunal-1 of Dhaka handed down the sentence in presence of the couple at the courtroom yesterday.
The couple were given 27 years in jail after considering that Papia is a woman. The charges were enough for life in jail, the judge said.
According to the judgement, Papia and her husband Sumon were given 20 years' imprisonment for possessing arms, and seven years' imprisonment for possessing bullets, but their punishment will run concurrently.
Before pronouncing the verdict, the couple were produced before the court amid tight security.
In his observation, the judge said the accused were not honest political leaders as they kept arms, bullets and Tk 58.41 lakh illegally in their possession.
The accused were so-called political leaders who cannot bring any welfare for the masses. They are harmful to the people, the court also observed.
This judgment will send a clear message to other political leaders like Papia and her husband, the judge added.
Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Abdullah Abu said the prosecution was satisfied with the verdict.
Defence lawyer Shakhawat Ullah Bhuiyan said it was a fabricated case and they were dissatisfied with the judgement.
They would challenge the verdict at a higher court, he added.
On September 27, the judge set yesterday for delivering the verdict in the case on completion of the trial within nine working days.
During their arguments, the prosecution told the tribunal that they have been able to prove the charges against the accused and sought highest punishment -- life-term imprisonment.
The tribunal recorded statements of 12 prosecution witnesses, including complainant of the case. The same tribunal framed charges against the couple in the case on August 23.
A team of Rab arrested Papia and her husband Sumon, a former Chhatra League leader, and their two accomplices at Dhaka airport on February 22 when they were trying to leave the country.
The following morning, Rab raided the house of Papia on Indira Road in Farmgate and recovered a foreign pistol, two magazines, 20 bullets, five bottles of foreign liquor, Tk 58,41,000 in cash, and credit and debit cards of different banks.
On February 24, an arms case was filed against the couple with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.
Rab Sub-Inspector Arifuzzaman submitted the charge sheet before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka against the couple on June 29.
Except this case, two more cases under the Special Powers Act and one graft case under the Money Laundering Prevention Act for amassing about Tk 6.24 crore illegally were lodged against the couple.
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