Shamim Osman jailed for 8 yrs, Chy Alam, wife 10 yrs

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NARAYNGANJ, Sept 12 (UNB/bdnews24.com): A court here Wednesday sentenced former Awami League (AL) lawmaker AKM Shamim Osman to eight years in jail for concealing wealth information and dodging income tax payment.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court Wednesday sentenced DCC ward commissioner Chowdhury Alam and his wife Hasina Chowdhury to 10 years in prison in an extortion case.
In Narayanganj, Senior Special Judge Abdul Kuddus Mia delivered the judgement in his packed courtroom and fined Osman Tk 1.768 million (17.68 lakh), in default, to suffer six months more in jail. He was tried in absentia.
Of the eight-year sentence, the court awarded him three years for hiding money and wealth-related information and five years for tax-dodging.
As the two verdicts will be executed simultaneously, the convict would have to serve a total of five years behind bars.
The court said as the convict was fleeing from the law the jail sentence will be in force from the day of his surrender or arrest.
Assistant Tax Commissioner of Narayanganj (Circle-2) Mihir Lal Sarker filed the case against Shamim Osman as he evaded tax concealing his wealth details.
The judge also ordered that his wealth worth Tk 7.522 million (75.22 lakh) be confiscated to the national exchequer.
Earlier, Shamim Osman was sentenced to three years' jail by the same court on May 31 this year in another case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission on April 4 for non-submission of his wealth statement within the stipulated time.
Shamim Osman was not represented by any lawyer and the court heard only the prosecution.
Meanwhile, in Dhaka, Judge Md Amanullah of Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judges' Court-4 for Dhaka fined Chowdhury Alam and his wife Tk 10,000 and said they have to serve six more months in case of failure of payment.
On February 22, Alam turned himself in to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (CMM's) Court for Dhaka. The court ordered him into jail the same day.
His wife is on the run.
According to case details, Alam and his associates demanded Tk 5.0 million (50 lakh) in toll on March 11, 2003 from ASM Alauddin, managing director of Western Engineering Limited, a company assigned to construct a building for Bangladesh Freedom Fighters' Welfare Trust in the city's Gulistan area.
They allegedly threatened to stop work on parts of the building if the money was not paid. The construction work, however, did not finish because of their hindrance.
On November 24, 2004, Alam and 10 to 12 persons came to the construction firm and pressed Alauddin to allocate a shop in his wife's name and took away Tk 1.50 million (15 lakh).
Alauddin signed an allocation paper and handed it to Alam.
On April 4, 2007, he filed a case with Paltan Police Station against Alam and his wife.