The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Top forest-gobbler Osman Gani, caught for minting money out of country's forest resources, was yesterday sentenced to 12 years rigorous imprisonment for corruption.

A special court that deals with corruption cases under the current purge in the interim period, in it is judgment, also jailed his fugitive wife Mohsen Ara Gani for 3 years for aiding her husband in protecting his ill-gotten wealth.

The much-talked-about chief conservator of forests, who became an icon of the corrupt after a huge haul of money from his pillow and rice drum during his arrest, was convicted on two counts: amassing wealth illegally and concealing information about his fabulous assets.

Passing the sentences the court of Judge AKM Arifur Rahman fined Gani Tk 10 lakh and his wife Tk 1 lakh, failing which they will have to serve one year and six months more respectively behind bars. Besides, the court ordered confiscation of the convict's ill-gotten wealth worth Tk 3.60 crore and 270 tolas of gold to state coffers.

On December 17 last year, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) submitted charge sheet against the Gani couple, accusing them of amassing wealth by illegal means.

On July 26, ACC Deputy Director Golam Shahriar Chowdhury filed the case with Uttara Police Station for concealing around Tk 4.30 crore.

In the statement submitted to the ACC on June 26, the couple hailed from a southern coastal district showed their assets valued Tk 3,70,15,000. However, the ACC later found them owning more assets worth around Tk 4.30 crore.

On May 29 last year, amid a countrywide anti-corruption drive following the political changeover, army-led joint forces arrested Osman Gani at his Uttara house. During the raid, they found one-crore taka in cash hidden in the unusual places inside the house.