The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

A special court dealing with high-profile corruption cases Sunday sentenced detained former Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Shahjahan Chowdhury to 10 years' imprisonment for hiding wealth in his statement submitted under the current purge. Co-accused Faisal Morshed Khan, chairman of Arab Bangladesh Bank and also son of former foreign minister M Morshed Khan, was also jailed for seven years for abetting Shahjahan in concealing information about the money he paid for importing a luxury car enjoying the privilege of tax-free facility as a lawmaker.

Shahjahan Chowdhury, elected to the last parliament from Chittagong constituency-14, happens to be the first Jamaat leader to be convicted of corruption in the ongoing countrywide drive in the interim period against corruption of the past political era. Faisal was tried in absentia as he, as well as his father, has been on the run since the present military-backed caretaker government launched the purge against high-profile corruption suspects. Delivering the sentences, Judge AK Roy also fined each them to pay one-lakh taka or, in default, suffer three months more in prison. Besides, the court ordered the government to confiscate the car. On July 1 last year, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case accusing Shahjahan of concealing assets worth Tk 49,49,364 in the wealth statement submitted to the ACC. It also accused Faisal of abetting Shahjahan in concealing the information about the money paid for the duty-free import of the 'Range Rover' car. Earlier, in August last year, the anti-graft watchdog seized the car of the former Jamaat MP, Shahjahan Chowdhury, from Tejgaon in the capital. Shahjahan Chowdhury, in his wealth statement, showed price of his car as only Tk 2.41 lakh. According to the statement, he imported the car from Japan in MP quota at Tk 2.41 lakh. But, after investigation, ACC officials found the car to have been imported at Tk 49 lakh.