Morshed Khan sent to jail

Former foreign minister M Morshed Khan was sent to jail after he surrendered before a Dhaka court yesterday in connection with a graft case in which he was sentenced to 13 years' rigorous imprisonment (RI) in absentia.
Special Court-7 Judge Mohammad Sirajul Islam passed the order rejecting the former minister's bail prayer while he appeared before it.
On August 4 last year, Morshed Khan was given 13 years' RI and fined Tk 10 lakh in connection with the case filed for amassing wealth of Tk 1.67 crore through illegal means and concealing information in his wealth statement submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Morshed's lawyers submitted two petitions--one for bail and another for providing him with treatment and first class division in the jail.
Moving the petitions, lawyers told the court that on March 15, 2007 their client had gone abroad for treatment after being advised by his physicians. But later he was convicted in the graft case in absentia. Meantime, their client having returned to the country yesterday came to know about his conviction in the case and surrendered before the court and sought bail.
The prosecution lawyer Moshrarraf Hossain Kajol opposed the bail petition but he did not oppose the petition for providing the convict treatment and first class division in jail.
After the hearing, the judge ordered to send Morshed Khan to jail directing the jail authorities to give him proper treatment and first class division as per Jail Code. The court also directed the authorities concerned to attach conviction warrant against the convict.
Morshed Khan went into hiding after the crackdown began on graft suspects during the army-backed caretaker government. One of his lawyers told The Daily Star that Morshed Khan returned from Singapore at 10:30 am yesterday.
The former minister, also a BNP leader, was handed down 10 years' RI for acquiring wealth through dishonest means and three years' RI for hiding information about his wealth. The jail terms will run consecutively.
The court ordered confiscation of Morshed's ill-gotten wealth worth Tk 82.22 lakh.
His wife Nasrin Khan, who also is on the run, was accused in the case for aiding and abetting him in the illegal earning. But the High Court quashed corruption proceeding against her.
ACC Assistant Director Talebor Rahman filed the case against Morshed and his wife with Gulshan police station on December 10 last year for amassing wealth worth Tk 1.70 crore illegally and concealing information about wealth worth Tk 91.34 lakh.