The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

A Special Court, trying high-profile corruption cases, yesterday sentenced detained former Communications Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda to 12 years imprisonment in graft charge, but acquitted his wife Sigma.

Judge M Ashraf Hossain sentenced the BNP leader to 10 years in jail for amassing wealth illegally and another two years for concealing information about his actual assets.

Another Special Court yesterday jailed business tycoon and Janakantha editor Atiqullah Khan Masud for 13 years and his fugitive wife for three years for making illegal wealth.

With yesterday prison sentences, Barrister Huda and Masud both have been jailed in more than one graft case after they were arrested under the ongoing purge against high-profile corruption suspects in the interim period.

The Court found Barrister Huda guilty on two counts - amassing wealth illegally and concealing information on his wealth. Huda turned out to be a powerful leader of BNP, as one of his brother-in-laws married cousin sister of late president Ziaur Rahman that help him amassing huge amount of illegal wealth while in power.

The court also fined Barrister Huda to pay Tk 10 million (one crore) or, in default, to serve one year more in jail.

Besides, the court ordered the government to confiscate Tk 1 crore of Huda, including his pleasure villa.

On July 11 last year, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case against the Huda couple for a mismatch between their wealth and the wealth statements they had submitted earlier to the watchdog.

ACC assistant director Talebur Rahman filed the case with Dhanmondi Police Station accusing Barrister Huda and his wife, Sigma Huda, of amassing wealth worth Tk 83 million (8.3 crore) by illegal means.

The complainant stated that the Huda couple did not mention wealth worth Tk 21.9 million (2.19 crore) in the statement.

The couple in their wealth account to the ACC disclosed assets worth Tk 40.2 million (4.02 crore).

On investigation, the anti-graft watchdog found another chunk of Tk 68.5 million (6.85 crore) in their possession.

Earlier, On August 27 last year, a similar special court sentenced Huda to seven years in prison while his wife Sigma Huda given three years imprisonment in another graft case.

Meanwhile, Janakantha editor Atiqullah Khan Masud, already serving a jail term of seven years in a building-fraud case involving his real-estate business, was again sentenced yesterday for 13 years for owning ill-gotten wealth and concealing information thereof.

The special trial court also sentenced his wife Shamima A Khan, tried in absentia, to three years imprisonment for aiding and abetting her husband in protecting the property.