Property of Ashraf, Orion chief to be attached

A Dhaka court yesterday ordered attachment of entire property of former BNP whip Ashraf Hossain and Orion Group Chairman Obaidul Karim in a bribery case filed in connection with Gulistan-Jatrabari flyover contract.
The same court, meantime, sent former Awami League lawmaker Habibur Rahman Mollah to jail custody after he surrendered to the court, seeking bail in a tax evasion case.
Besides, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday pressed charges against another former Awami League MP Mirza Azam and two other businessmen in a corruption case and filed a case against Rajib Siraj, son of former BNP minister Shajahan Siraj, for concealing wealth information to the watchdog.
BRIBERY CASE
Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque at Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court passed the attachment order after Gulshan and Tejgaon police submitted reports on implementation of the arrest warrants the court issued against Ashraf and Karim earlier.
The court, however, did not order the authorities concerned to attach property of Harris Chowdhury, another accused in the case who is also political secretary to detained former prime minister Khaleda Zia, as local police did not report about the implementation of the arrest warrant against him.
Gulshan and Tejgaon police said in their reports that they did not find Ashraf and Karim in their residences when the law enforcers went there to arrest the two.
Police appealed to the court to take next steps against them.
The court on November 15 issued arrest warrants against Ashraf, Karim and Harris after investigation officer in the case Mohammad Shafiul Alam, also an assistant director at ACC, submitted a plea to that end.
Earlier on November 14, the IO submitted charge sheet against five people including Ashraf, Harris and Karim to Dhaka's chief metropolitan magistrate's court, showing 27 people as prosecution witnesses.
The IO in his charge sheet showed Ashraf, Harris and Karim as fugitives and prayed for arrest warrants against them and attachment order of their property.
The two other accused are Harris's brother-in-law Masud Ahmed and his driver Abdus Salam. They are now behind bars.
The charge sheet mentioned that an Infiniti sport utility vehicle was imported duty-free using Ashraf's privilege as a lawmaker though the documents of the vehicle bore Karim's address.
Karim paid around Tk 50 lakh for the SUV while its market value was much higher, said the charge sheet adding that the Orion chairman bribed Harris with the vehicle in order to get work order for the Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover.
The charge sheet said Ashraf, for financial gains, breached his affidavit by transferring the car to Karim.
Habibur Rahman Mollah Case
The same court yesterday sent Habibur Rahman Mollah to jail after he, along with his lawyers, appeared before the court and sought bail in a tax evasion case.
Arguing that their client was implicated in the case as part of a conspiracy to harass him, Mollah's lawyers prayed for his bail though the Emergency Power Rules under which the case was filed do not have any such provision.
The judge issued arrest warrant against Mollah on November 18 after Deputy Tax Commissioner Golam Kabir of National Board of Revenue complained in his case that the ex-MP evaded Tk 45.41 lakh in tax during 1996-2007.
Azam Case
Investigation officer Mohammad Monaim Hossain, also an assistant director at ACC, submitted the charge sheet against Azam and two other people to chief metropolitan magistrate's court, showing 23 people as prosecution witnesses.
The two other chargesheeted are Shawkat Ali and Mohammad Ali Khokon, proprietor directors of Metro Spinning Ltd.
The High Court earlier granted ad interim bail to Shawkat until police submit report to the chief metropolitan magistrate's court. Azam and Khokon are in hiding.
The IO prayed to the court to issue arrest warrants against them and order attachment of their property.
A Rab team on March 9 recovered a Lexus jeep from the residence of Shawkat Ali on road No. 113 at Gulshan-2 in the city. The law enforcers later discovered that Azam, also the general secretary of Awami Jubo League, was the original owner of the luxury vehicle.
Sub-Inspector Shawkat Kabir of Rab laid a case with Gulshan Police Station against Azam and the two others the following day.
The complainant said Azam, a corruption suspect on an ACC list, imported the tax-free Lexus on March 25, 2003 and sold it to Shawkat, preparing fake documents.
Rajib Siraj Case
The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday filed the case against Rajib Siraj, son of former jute and textiles minister Shajahan Siraj, for concealing information on wealth in his statement to the watchdog.
Khairul Huda, an ACC assistant director, filed the case against Rajib with Gulshan Police Station in which he complained that the accused amassed assets worth Tk 8.79 crore beyond known sources of income.
The ACC yesterday also approved filing a first information report against former state minister for LGRD and cooperative Ziaul Haq Zia, his wife Shamima Haque and son Mushfiqul Haque for illegally accumulating wealth worth about Tk 20 crore.