The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

A Special Court here yesterday sentenced former Awami League lawmaker Sheikh Helal to 13 years' imprisonment for acquiring wealth beyond his known sources of income and concealing information in his wealth statement.

His wife Rupa Chowdhury was also jailed for three years for helping her husband accumulate wealth illegally.

Judge of the court Tanzina Ismail handed down the verdict after examining the witnesses and relevant documents in absence of the accused as they were absconding since the case was filed.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on September 24 last year accusing Helal and his wife Rupa Chowdhury for concealing information about their actual property in the wealth statement submitted to the ACC.

Helal was jailed for ten years for acquiring property disproportionate to his known sources of income and three years for submitting the untrue statement to the ACC.

The court also fined him Taka 50 lakh or, in default, to suffer two years more in jail and ordered confiscation of his assets worth Taka 7.60 crore, acquired illegally, in favour of the state.

The court also fined Rupa Chowdhury Taka 50 thousand or, in default, to suffer one month more in prison.

The punishment will be executed from the day the convicts surrender or are arrested, the verdict said.