Four ex-govt officials sent to jail

FE Team | Published: October 02, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

A Dhaka court Monday sent two civil servants without specific assignments, a former secretary and a Rajuk official to jail on charges of selling 18 government houses for "lower than market prices", reports bdnews24.com.
Retired housing and public works secretary Iqbal Uddin Chowdhury surrendered to the Senior Special Judge's Court, before he was sent to prison.
SM Zafarullah, former housing and public works secretary, who was made officer on special duty in the establishment ministry, and Shahid Alam, former Rajuk chairman, also made OSD, also turned themselves in to the court.
Golam Nabi, former director (estate) of Rajuk, also turned himself in.
Senior special judge Md Azizul Haq ordered the four to jail and ordered division for them in jail.
The judge also ordered confiscation of the moveable property of 10 fugitive-accused in the case after the police submitted reports to court failing to arrest them.
The ten accused people include former commerce minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, vice-chairman of Antex Group of Industries Hasna Ahmed, Basundhara Group chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan better known as Shah Alam.
Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury's family told bdnews24.com that he had gone abroad for treatment.
The judge fixed October 4 for submission of the property attachment report of the 10 accused.
Former housing and public works minister Mirza Abbas and Rajuk director (finance) Humayun Khan are already in jail in connection with the case.
However, the report on execution of the arrest warrants against nine people, including Harris Chowdhury, was not submitted to the court Monday.
An assistant director of the Anticorruption commission, Shafiul Azam, filed the case with Motijheel Police Station on March 29.
After investigation, 25 people were accused in 15 charge sheets, submitted on September 20.
The judge issued arrest warrants on September 25 against the fugitives.
The case alleged that Mirza Abbas and former and current Rajuk officials had sold the 18 abandoned government houses in Dhanmondi, Gulshan, Banani and New Eskaton in the capital without any tender.
The houses were sold at "abnormally lower than the real market prices costing the state Tk 1.2764 billion in losses".