BTTB union boss Firoz jailed for 13 years

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A court Monday handed down 13 years in jail and a Tk 1.0 million (10 lakh) fine to Firoz Miah, trade union boss of state-run Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB), reports bdnews24.com.
He will have to suffer another year in jail on failure to pay the fine.
Firoz is to serve three years in prison for concealing information and 10 years rigorous imprisonment for earning wealth illegally.
The court also issued an order to attach his ill-gotten property but cleared his wife Rawshan Ara of the charges.
Judge Md Ashraf Hossain of the Special Judge's Court-5 housed in the Sangsad Bhaban complex pronounced the verdict at 3:00 pm.
Firoz was arrested on February 3, but his wife has been on the run.
Firoz was on the list of 50 politicians, businessmen, bureaucrats and others who the Anticorruption Commission (ACC) asked to give accounts of movable and immovable property in their names and in the name of their wives and children.
Firoz's son Afzalur Rahman on February 25 submitted the account of the movable and immovable property of his father and the family.
ACC Deputy Director Mobara Khanam filed a case against the Firoz couple on charges of suppressing information about his wealth worth some Tk 13.50 million (1.35 crore) and ill-gotten property.
Judge Md Azizul Haque of the Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court on June 21 sent the case to the Special Judge's Court-5.
The court framed charges against the Firoz couple on July 1 and examined 30 witnesses from July 2 to July 10 before closing the hearing on July 26.
Firoz gave a statement on July 15 to the court pleading not guilty. In the statement, he gave the court names of nine people who he wanted to testify in his defence. Six of them testified on July 22.
Earlier, courts gave jail terms of different tenures for corruption to BNP leader and former state minister for labour Amanullah Aman and wife Sabera Aman, former state minister for civil aviation and tourism Mir Mohammed Nasiruddin and son Mir Mohammed Helaluddin, former BNP lawmaker Wadud Bhuiyan and former state minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir.
A court also awarded a jail sentence to former BNP lawmaker and owner of Hawa Bhaban Ali Asgar Loby for evading tax and suppressing information.