Former MP gets 10 years jail term
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
RAJSHAHI, Aug 14 (bdnews24.com): A Rajshahi court Tuesday sentenced Nadim Mostafa to 10 years in prison on twin charges of extortion and capturing polling centres, but the former BNP lawmaker has to serve up to seven years as the jail terms will run simultaneously.
Judge Rezaul Islam of Rajshahi Additional District and Sessions Judge's Court-2 also handed down equal jail terms to 14 other BNP leaders and workers.
Mostafa, the former MP from Rajshahi-4 constituency and general secretary of Rajshahi City BNP, and the 14 other convicts received three years' jail sentence and Tk 3,000 each in fines on charges of capturing a polling centre.
They would have to serve six more months in jail should they fail to pay the fine.
Each of them was also given seven years for extortion and fined Tk 10,000 or has to suffer another year in jail for failure to pay the sum.
Both punishments would take a simultaneous effect, meaning the convicts would be jailed for a maximum of seven years.
Mostafa and 11 others have been on the run.
The other convicts are: Durgapur municipality chairman Saidur Rahman Montu, Mominur Rahman, Enamul Haque, Shahin, Tuhin, Abu Bakkar, Ansar Ali, Akteruzzaman Labu, Kazi, Alif, Chanchal, Babar Ali Bablu, Huda and Zaker Ali.
Abdul Gaffar Montu and Shamsul Alam, the other accused in the case, were cleared of the charges.
Only Saidur Rahman Montu, Babar Ali Bablu and Ansar Ali were in the dock when the verdict came.
The case details have it that on July 14, 2003, the day of elections to Maria Union Parishad, Montu and other accused by order of Mostafa demanded Tk 0.1 million in toll from chairman candidate Hasan Imam Sumon.
As Sumon did not meet the demand, they attacked the polling centre and captured it.
Sekandar Ali, who was injured in the attack, filed the case with Durgapur Police Station on April 24 against 20 BNP leaders and workers.
Police on May 18 pressed charges against 17 people in the court, which examined 12 witnesses.
It was the third judgement in a number of cases filed against Nadim Mosfata. He was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in a cheating case on July 3 and got acquitted in a misappropriation case on July 4.
Judge Rezaul Islam of Rajshahi Additional District and Sessions Judge's Court-2 also handed down equal jail terms to 14 other BNP leaders and workers.
Mostafa, the former MP from Rajshahi-4 constituency and general secretary of Rajshahi City BNP, and the 14 other convicts received three years' jail sentence and Tk 3,000 each in fines on charges of capturing a polling centre.
They would have to serve six more months in jail should they fail to pay the fine.
Each of them was also given seven years for extortion and fined Tk 10,000 or has to suffer another year in jail for failure to pay the sum.
Both punishments would take a simultaneous effect, meaning the convicts would be jailed for a maximum of seven years.
Mostafa and 11 others have been on the run.
The other convicts are: Durgapur municipality chairman Saidur Rahman Montu, Mominur Rahman, Enamul Haque, Shahin, Tuhin, Abu Bakkar, Ansar Ali, Akteruzzaman Labu, Kazi, Alif, Chanchal, Babar Ali Bablu, Huda and Zaker Ali.
Abdul Gaffar Montu and Shamsul Alam, the other accused in the case, were cleared of the charges.
Only Saidur Rahman Montu, Babar Ali Bablu and Ansar Ali were in the dock when the verdict came.
The case details have it that on July 14, 2003, the day of elections to Maria Union Parishad, Montu and other accused by order of Mostafa demanded Tk 0.1 million in toll from chairman candidate Hasan Imam Sumon.
As Sumon did not meet the demand, they attacked the polling centre and captured it.
Sekandar Ali, who was injured in the attack, filed the case with Durgapur Police Station on April 24 against 20 BNP leaders and workers.
Police on May 18 pressed charges against 17 people in the court, which examined 12 witnesses.
It was the third judgement in a number of cases filed against Nadim Mosfata. He was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in a cheating case on July 3 and got acquitted in a misappropriation case on July 4.