A Faridpur court on Sunday sentenced 17 years imprisonment to Imtiaz Hasan Rubel, former president of Faridpur Press Club, and his associate Rezaul Karim Bipul in a case filed under the Arms Act.

Faridpur District and Sessions Judge Ashok Kumar Datta handed down the punishment in presence of the convicts.

The court sentenced them to 10 years jail for possessing arms while another seven years jail for possessing bullets.

According to the prosecution, Rubel is the brother of expelled general secretary of Faridpur district unit Awami League Sazzad Hossain Barkat.

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The siblings were close associates of former local government, rural development and cooperatives (LGRD) minister and former lawmaker of Faridpur-3 constituency Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.

Barkat and Rubel were arrested on June 7, 2020 for attacking then president of district unit Awami League Subal Chandra Saha’s house. Seven more associates of Barkat-Rubel were also arrested in this connection.

Abdul Jabbar, sub-inspector of Faridpur DB police, filed a case under the Arms Act.

Two separate cases were filed against expelled AL leader Barkat, Rubel and Bipul.

Barkat and Rubel were also wanted in 11 more cases including one over laundering Tk 2000 crore.

Sheltered and supported by former Faridpur sadar upazila chairman Khondokar Mohtesham Hasan, and Jubo League leader AHM Fuad, the two brothers illegally acquired assets worth Tk 3,000 crore by controlling tender, trading commissions, drug trade, and extortion from the transportation sector.

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Rubel grabbed the position of Faridpur Press Club president despite never being a journalist.

Of this asset Tk 2,535 crore has already been laundered to foreign countries through Hundi.

The case is currently under trial against 51 people including 10 named in the charge sheet.