Charges pressed against Shamim Iskander, wife

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday pressed charges against former prime minister Khaleda Zia's brother Shamim Iskander and his wife Kaniz Fatema in a case filed for amassing wealth worth Tk 1.33 crore illegally and hiding wealth information to the commission.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court rejected the bail petition of detained former premier Khaleda Zia in a case filed for embezzlement of over Tk 2.10 crore by forming a fake establishment named Zia Orphanage Trust.
ACC Deputy Assistant Director AFM Jabid Hassan, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet against Shamim to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka, showing 36 people as prosecution witnesses.
Shamim, a former flight engineer of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, was earlier arrested in connection with the case and later released on bail following a High Court (HC) order.
Shamim's wife Fatema got bail from the HC after she surrendered before it and sought an anticipatory bail. The HC also stayed the proceedings of the case for four months.
In the charge sheet, the IO mentioned that Shamim Iskander amassed wealth worth about Tk 1.34 crore through illegal means and concealed information regarding wealth worth Tk 81.81 lakh from ACC.
CASE AGAINST KHALEDA
Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court passed the order after Khaleda's lawyers submitted a bail petition against a rejection order of the lower court.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Golam Rabbani rejected Khaleda's bail petition on July 30.
Khaleda's elder son detained BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman is also an accused in the case.
The five others accused are former BNP lawmaker Qazi Saleemul Huq Kamal, Syed Ahmed alias Sayeed Ahmed, Gias Uddin Ahmed, Sharfuddin Ahmed and Mominur Rahman, son of Khaleda's sister. Of them, Sharfuddin is in jail custody and the others absconding.
According to the case filed by ACC Deputy Assistant Director Harunur Rashid, the then prime minister Khaleda Zia and the other accused embezzled over Tk 2.10 crore establishing the named organisation that exists only on paper.