Dr Toufiq sent to jail on surrender

Former energy secretary Dr Toufiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury was sent to jail yesterday after he surrendered to a Dhaka court in a case filed for Tk 3 crore graft during the setting up of a barge-mount power plant in Khulna.
Meantime, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday pressed charges against former chief whip and Awami League (AL) leader Abul Hasnat Abdullah for concealing Tk 52 lakh in his wealth statement and amassing Tk 1.06 crore illegal assets.

TOWFIQ'S CASE
Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court ordered to send Towfiq to jail when he and his lawyers appeared before the court and sought bail.
The court also ordered to attach properties of former Power Development Board (PDB) chairman Noor Uddin Mahmud Kamal and five others in the same case.
Detained AL chief Sheikh Hasina is also an accused in the case.
On January 14, the court issued arrest warrants against Towfiq and six others following the plea by the investigation officer (IO) of the case.
Moving the bail petition, the defendant's lawyers argued that the charges brought against their client were false, fabricated and concocted, adding that Towfiq was implicated in the case as part of a conspiracy to harass him.
The lawyers submitted another petition for providing him division and proper treatment in jail custody.
Opposing the bail petition, the prosecution argued that there was no provision to grant bail to any accused in cases filed under section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947.
After hearing both sides, the court did not pass any order on the bail petition and ordered to send the accused to jail. It also directed jail authorities to take necessary steps for giving him division according to Jail Code.
Five others against whom attachment order is issued are Summit Industries and Mercantile Corporation Private Ltd Managing Director Aziz Khan, its Director Farid Khan, United Group Chairman Hasan Mahmud Raja, its Director Abul Kalam Azad and Bangabandhu Memorial Trust (BMT) curator Sayed Siddiqur Rahman.
On January 10, ACC Deputy Director Morshed Alam, also the IO of the case, submitted the charge sheet to Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court.
In addition to the seven persons accused in the FIR earlier, the name of BMT curator Sayed Siddiqur Rahman was also included in the charge sheet, as his involvement with the graft case was found during investigation.
ACC Deputy Director Sabbir Hasan lodged the case with Tejgaon Police Station on September 2, 2007.
He said that through their mutual understanding and use of influence, the accused helped a foreign company and its local partners win a deal in 1997 for setting up the 100MW barge-mount power plant in Khulna and thus deprived the lowest bidder from being awarded the deal.

ABUL HASNAT ABDULLAH'S CASE
The IO of the case ACC Assistant Director Shafiul Alam submitted the charge sheet against Abul Hasnat to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, showing 20 people as prosecution witnesses.
He prayed for issuance of arrest warrant against the accused and the order to attach his properties, as he was shown fugitive in the case.
ACC Assistant Director Rahela Khatun filed the case with the Dhanmondi police on September 6, 2007 against Abul Hasnat for acquiring wealth that does not go with his legal income sources and hiding information about his actual wealth.