Sheikh Helal jailed again for 13 years
A special court dealing with corruption cases yesterday sentenced former Awami League (AL) lawmaker Sheikh Helaluddin to 13 years' imprisonment for amassing wealth illegally and concealing information about wealth from the ACC.
The court also sentenced his wife Rupa Chowdhury to three years' jail and fined her Tk 50,000, as she was found guilty of abetting her husband in accumulating the wealth. She would have to serve an additional month in jail if she failed to pay the fine.
Sheikh Helal, also a cousin of AL chief Sheikh Hasina, and his wife remain on the run and were tried in absentia.
The sentence will be effective from the day of their arrest or surrender, the court said.
Set up in the MP hostel of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban Complex, special court-6 of Tanzeena Ismail also directed the government to confiscate their wealth worth over Tk 7.60 crore, which is inconsistent with Helal's known sources of income.
Out of the 13-year-imprisonment, the court handed down Helal 10 years' jail for amassing wealth illegally and fined him Tk 50 lakh, in default of which he would have to suffer two more years in jail.
He received another three years' jail for concealing information in the wealth statement submitted to the ACC.
On September 24 last year, ACC Deputy Director Manzur Ahmed filed the case with the Ramna Police Station accusing Helal and his wife of concealing Tk 7.60 crore in their wealth statements and amassing Tk 16.22 crore through illegal means.
On January 15, 2008, ACC Assistant Director Syed Ahmed, also the investigation officer (IO), submitted the charge sheet against them to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, showing 23 people as prosecution witnesses.
Later, a Dhaka court ordered attachment of the properties of Helal.
The special court framed charges against the accused on February 6 while taking witnesses' deposition began on February 11. The court fixed today for delivering verdict after the prosecution completed arguments on February 17.
On February 12, a Dhaka court sentenced Sheikh Helal to seven years' rigorous imprisonment for extorting Tk 1.02 crore from a construction firm owner.
Comments