The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

A special court that deals with high- profile corruption cases Sunday sentenced detained former housing and works minister Mirza Abbas to 8 years' imprisonment for tax evasion and hiding information about his wealth.

Delivering the judgment, Judge Shahed Noor Uddin also fined him Tk 57 lakh. In default, he will have to suffer one year more in prison. Besides, the court ordered confiscation of his wealth worth Tk 2.20 crore to the state coffers.

On August 5 last year, National Board of Revenue (NBR) Deputy Tax Commissioner Rezaul Karim filed the case alleging that Abbas, also joint secretary general of BNP, had "dodged paying nearly Tk 60 lakh in tax over his income".

On February 25, joint forces arrested Abbas on the Anti-Corruption Commission premises when he had gone to submit his wealth-information report in compliance with notice served by the anti-graft watchdog under the ongoing purge in the interim period against corruption in high places.