Ex-BTCL chief gets four months in jail

Hours after his conviction by the High Court (HC), former managing director (MD) of the Bangladesh Teleco-mmunication Company Ltd (BTCL) SOM Kalimullah was sent to Dhaka Central Jail Thursday, report agencies.

The High Court has sentenced former MD to four months in prison for contempt of court.

The bench of Justice MR Hasan also fined Tk 100, 00 to the former public servant who went into retirement in February. He will have to be in jail for additional one month in case of failing to pay the fine.

The plaintiff's counsel Anik R Haque said that Kalimullah would not get retirement benefits due to the verdict.

Passing the order, an HC single bench with Justice MR Hasan asked its posse to hand over the convict who was present in the courtroom to the police.

The court, however, acquitted BTCL director Shah Farid Uddin and IFIC bank official Helal Ahmed.

The HC punitive order came in response to a contempt-of-court petition filed by Oxinal Services Private Ltd, an international telecom firm, on January 23 accusing the BTCL of flouting court order over a financial transaction dispute between the two companies.

Emerging from the court, barrister Anik R Huq, the counsel for Oxinal, told reporters that the contemnor convict will lose retirement benefits from his service following the HC order.

Advocate Raisuddin Ahmed appeared for Kalimullah.