The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

A Special Court here on Sunday sentenced former secretary general of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) Dr AZM Zahid Hossain to 13-year imprisonment for acquiring wealth beyond his known sources of income and concealing information in his wealth statement.

His wife Rifat Hossain was also jailed for three years for helping her husband to 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) lodged the case on October 3 last year with Ramna thana in the city, accusing Zahid Hossain and his wife for concealing information about their actual property in their wealth statement submitted to the ACC.

Zahid was jailed for 10 years for acquiring property disproportionate to his known sources of income and three years for submitting untrue statement to the ACC.

The Court also fined him Taka 10 lakh, in default, to suffer one year more in jail and ordered confiscation of his assets worth Taka three crore, acquired illegally, in favour of the state.

The Court also fined Rifat Hossain Taka 50,000, 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.