United News of Bangladesh

A Dhaka court Wednesday sentenced Abdul Malek, a former driver of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), to five years imprisonment while his wife Nargis Begum to three years imprisonment in a graft case.Judge of the Dhaka Special Judge Court-6 Zakaria Hossain passed the order. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) field the case against them for amassing wealth beyond known sources of income and concealing wealth information.The court also fined them Tk 20,000, in default, to suffer three months more in rigorous imprisonment.ACC prosecutor Asaduzzaman Rana said the court also asked to confiscate the wealth of Malek worth Tk 1.10 crore. Assistant director of ACC's head office Syed Nazrul Islam filed a case against Abdul Malek and his wife Nargis Begum on February 14,2021.According to the second case statement, Malek directly assisted his wife in acquiring wealth worth Tk 1.10 crore beyond known sources of income.ACC submitted chargesheet against them on October 27.Earlier on March 23, 2025, a court sentenced Abdul Malek, to 13 years imprisonment in a case over amassing illegal wealth.On September 20, 2021, another court sentenced Malek to 30 years imprisonment in case filed under the Arms Act.RAB members arrested Malek from Turag thana area in the city on 20th September, 2020 on charge of extortion and involvement in illegal firearms trade.END/UNB/Corr/MAS/FH

A Dhaka court on Tuesday issued  warrants for the arrest of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and 27 others in two graft cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots in the capital’s Purbachal New Town Project. Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Md Zakir Hossain Galib passed the order after taking into cognisance the charge sheets submitted by the ACC. Purbachal plot: ACC files 2 more cases against Hasina, Joy The court also fixed April 28 for submitting a report on whether the accused have been arrested. Other accused in the cases include Saiful Islam Sarkar, administrative officer at the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Senior Assistant Secretary Purabi Goldar, Additional Secretary (Administration) Kazi Wasi Uddin, and Secretary Md Shahid Ullah Khandaker. Former RAJUK officials including personal assistant to the then chairman Anichur Rahman Mia, former estate and land member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, member (development control) Tanmoy Das, former member Mohammad Nasir Uddin, development member Major (retd) Shamsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury,Director Md Kamrul Islam, Assistant Director Majharul Islam, Deputy Director Nayeb Ali Sharif; Director Md Nurul Islam, and former member Shafiul Haque were among the accused. According to ACC officials, one case was filed against Sheikh Hasina and 11 others, mostly housing ministry and RAJUK officials, for abusing power during her tenure as Prime Minister to secure allocation of a valuable diplomatic zone plot in Sector-27 of the Purbachal project. In the second case, 17 people, including Sheikh Hasina and her son Joy, were accused of influencing public officials to obtain plots in violation of the relevant laws and procedures. According to the case statement, although Sheikh Hasina, her children, sister, and other close relatives already owned homes or apartments in Dhaka, this information was allegedly concealed in affidavits. She allegedly misused her authority as the head of government to exert undue influence over officials of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works and RAJUK to obtain the plot. On April 10, the same court issued arrest warrants against Sheikh Hasina, her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, and 16 others in a graft case concerning plot allocation in Purbachal. Hasina, Joy among 93 sued in attempt to murder case On April 13, arrest warrants were issued against 53 people, including Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, Rehana’s son Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby, and UK MP Tulip Rizwana Siddiq in three other cases involving the alleged illegal acquisition of 30 kathas of land in the same housing project.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday filed four cases against 19 people including former prime minister's ex-defence adviser Tareq Ahmed Siddiqui on charge of embezzling TK 812 crore from three airport development projects. ACC Director General Md. Akhter Hossain revealed this during a briefing held at its headquarters. Former senior secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism Mohibul Haque, and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) chairman M. Mofidur Rahman were among the accused. The cases were filed under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The accused also include Janendranath Sarkar, former joint secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism; Abdul Malek, former chief engineer of CAAB; Habibur Rahman, former superintendent engineer of CAAB; project directors of the respective projects; and heads of the contracting firms involved. ACC finds foreign currency, gold, FDR documents in Sur’s lockers According to the case statements, around Tk 200 crore was misappropriated during the construction of a radar under the "Installation of RADAR with CNS-ATM (Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance-Air Traffic Management)" project at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. Another Tk 250 crore was embezzled from the third terminal expansion project of the same airport. In addition, Tk 212 crore was allegedly embezzled from the expansion project of Osmani International Airport in Sylhet, and Tk 150 crore from the terminal construction and runway development project at Cox's Bazar International Airport.

A Jahsore court on Wednesday sentenced former Awami League MP Shahin Chakladar to four years of jail in a case filed by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) around 16 years back. Judge of Jashore Special and Session Judge Court SM Nurul Islam also fined him Tk 20, 000 and ordered to confiscate his properties worth Tk 38 lakh and 3685. The court issued a warrant for his arrest , said district unit of Awami League law affairs secretary Advocate Gazi Abdul Kadir who stood for the former lawmaker. On March 30 in 2008, the then deputy director of the ACC (Jashore office) Manjur Morshed filed a case against Shahin Chakladar, current general secretary of the district unit of Awami League, on charge of concealing information of properties worth Tk 38 lakh. The ACC found inconsistency between the tax file and submitted statement of properties. Read: Khaleda, Tarique acquitted in Zia Orphanage graft case In the statement of properties, the former MP mentioned that he had properties worth Tk 1 crore, 96 lakh and 21400, with a loan of Tk 1 crore, 91 lakh and 515. But the ACC found the actual value of his properties was Tk 56 lakh and 26,200 and he concealed information properties worth Tk 38 lakh and 383, 685. On January 5 in 2009, the ACC submitted chargesheet against him.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday approved filing the case against former deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank SK Sur Chowdhury, his spouse Suparna Sur Choudhury and daughter Nandita Sur Choudhury. Deputy director of ACC Nazmul Hossain will file the case, spokesperson of the anti-graft body Aktarul Islam said. Read: ACC seeks bank account details of SK Sur, his family to probe graft Earlier, the ACC grabbed the bank account details of SK Sur, his spouse and daughter as part of an investigation into the allegation of tax evasion against the three. Earlier in July 2021, the National Board of Revenue directed banks to freeze bank accounts of the former deputy governor and his two family members.

A Dhaka court today framed charges against Nobel laureate Dr Yunus and 13 others in a case over embezzling Tk 25.22 crore of the Grameen Telecom Workers' welfare fund. Dhaka’s Special Judge's Court-4 Judge Syed Arafat Hossain passed the order after rejecting a petition for excluding names of the accused from the charges, said the defendants’ lawyer Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun. The court also set July 15 to take testimony from the witnesses, formally beginning trial in the case, he said. Dr Yunus and the other accused are now on bail and they pleaded not guilty, demanding justice while the court was framing charges, said the lawyer. Read more: US says it will continue to encourage Bangladesh govt to ensure a fair legal process for Dr. Yunus On February 1 this year, the investigating officer of the case, ACC Deputy Director Gulshan Anwar Pradhan, submitted the charge sheet against Dr. Yunus and 13 others. The court accepted the charges against them on June 2 after a hearing in this regard. The 13 other accused in the case are: Grameen Telecom MD Nazmul Islam; Director Ashraful Hasan, former MD Parveen Mahmood; Najnin Sultana, Shahjahan, Noorjahan Begum, and S. M. Hazzatul Islam Latifi, all serving as directors; along with Advocate Yusuf Ali; Advocate Zaforul Hasan Sharif; Md Kamruzzaman, President of the Union of Grameen Telecom Employees; Firoz Mahmud Hasan, General Secretary; Kamrul Hasan, office secretary of the Employees' Union office, and representative Mainul Islam. Gulshan Anwar, the Deputy Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), filed the case as the primary complainant on May 30, 2023. Read more: Law is taking its own course: Hasan Mahmud says on Dr Yunus case

The Appellate Division on Monday granted bail to Sabera Aman, wife of BNP leader Aman Ullah Aman, in a case filed over acquiring wealth beyond known income source. Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice M Enayetur Rahim granted the bail till January 15 next year following a bail petition filed by Sabera. Read: RAB arrests fugitive Hizb ut-Tahrir leader in Dhaka At the same time, the court fixed the day for hearing on the petition in the full bench of the Appellate Division. Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon stood for Sabera Aman while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan represented the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) during the hearing. Read: Graft case: Sabera Aman lands in jail upon surrender On September 3, Judge Abul Kashem of Dhaka Special Judge Court-1 sent Sabera Aman to jail after she surrendered before the court. The court also rejected her bail petition in the case. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on March 6, 2007, filed the case with the city's Kafrul police station against Aman Ullah Aman and his wife Sabera Aman. On June 21, 2007, a court sentenced Aman to 13 years imprisonment and his wife to three years jail in the case. Read: Fardin’s death: Court fixes October 1 for submitting further investigation report Later, they filed an appeal challenging the lower court order. On August 16, 2010, the High Court acquitted them. The Anti-Corruption Commission submitted a petition to the Appellate Division challenging the HC order. On May 26, 2014, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court asked the High Court to re-hear the petition. On May 30, the High Court upheld the lower court order that had sentenced Aman to 13 years jail and his wife Sabera to three years. It also asked them to surrender before the court within 15 days of getting the text of the verdict.  

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested Tuesday as he appeared in court to face charges in multiple graft cases, a dramatic escalation of political tensions in the country that sparked demonstrations by his supporters in at least three cities. Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022 but remains the leading opposition figure, was dragged from the Islamabad High Court by security agents from the National Accountability Bureau, said Fawad Chaudhry, a senior official with his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Khan was shoved into an armored car and whisked away. Chaudhry denounced the arrest of the 71-year-old former cricket star as “an abduction.” Pakistan’s independent GEO TV broadcast video of Khan being hauled away. Afterward, a scuffle broke out between Khan’s supporters and police outside the court. Some of Khan’s lawyers and supporters were injured in the melee, as were several police, Chaudhry said. Khan’s party complained to the court, which requested a police report explaining the charges for Khan’s arrest. Also Read: Pakistan: Police storm Imran Khan home in Lahore, arrest 61 Khan was taken to the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, for questioning at the offices of the National Accountability Bureau, according to police and government officials. He also was to undergo a routine medical checkup, police said. Khan had arrived at the Islamabad High Court from nearby Lahore, where he lives, to face charges in the graft cases. He has denounced the cases against him, which include terrorism charges, as a politically motivated plot by his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, saying his ouster was illegal and a Western conspiracy. Khan has campaigned against Sharif and demanded early elections. Tuesday’s arrest was based on a a new warrant from the National Accountability Bureau obtained last week in a separate graft case for which Khan had not obtained bail, making him vulnerable to arrest. He is scheduled to appear before an anti-graft tribunal on Wednesday, officials said. “Imran Khan has been arrested because he was being sought in a graft case,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told a news conference. He alleged Pakistan’s treasury had lost millions of dollars while Khan was in office due to illegal purchases of lands from a business tycoon. As the news of the arrest spread, about 4,000 of Khan’s supporters stormed the official residence of the top regional commander in Lahore, smashing windows and doors, damaging furniture and staging a sit-in as troops there retreated to avoid violence. The protesters also burned police vehicles and blocked key roads.. Protesters also smashed the main gate of the army’s headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where troops exercised restraint. Hundreds of demonstrators shouted pro-Khan slogans as they moved toward the sprawling building. In the port city of Karachi, police swung batons and fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Khan supporters who had gathered on a key road. Raoof Hasan, another leader from Khan’s party, told Al Jazeera English television that the arrest is “blatant interference in the judicial affairs by the powers-that-be.” Hasan added that Khan “was virtually abducted from the court of law.” Khan’s arrest came hours after he issued a video message before heading to Islamabad, saying he was “mentally prepared” for arrest there. Also Read: Pakistan's ex-PM Imran Khan no-show in court, avoids arrest Khan was wounded by a gunman at a rally in November, an attack that killed one of his supporters and wounded 13. He has insisted, without offering any evidence, that there is a plot to assassinate him, alleging that Pakistan’s spy agency was behind the conspiracy. The gunman was immediately arrested and police later released a video of him in custody, allegedly saying he had acted alone. In a strongly worded statement Monday, the military accused Khan of “fabricated and malicious allegations” of its involvement in the November shooting, saying they are “extremely unfortunate, deplorable and unacceptable.” Also Read: More clashes in Pakistan as police try to arrest Imran Khan The military has directly ruled Pakistan for more than half of the 75 years since the country gained independence from British colonial rule, and wields considerable power over civilian governments. Sharif, whose government faces spiraling economic woes and is struggling to recover from last year’s devastating floods that killed hundreds and caused $30 billion in damage, slammed Khan for assailing the military. “Let this be abundantly clear that you, as former prime minister, currently on trial for corruption, are claiming legitimacy to overturn the legal and political system,” Sharif tweeted after Khan’s arrest. Khan is the seventh former prime minister to be arrested in Pakistan. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was arrested and hanged in 1979. The current prime minister’s brother, Nawaz Sharif, who also served as prime minister, was arrested several times on corruption allegations. In March, police stormed Khan’s Lahore residence, seeking to arrest him based on a court order in a different case. Dozens of people, including police, were injured in ensuing clashes. Khan was not arrested at the time and later obtained bail in the case. Khan came to power in 2018 after winning parliamentary elections and had initially good relations with the military which gradually soured.  

A Dhaka court on Wednesday deferred till April 9 the hearing on charge framing against BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for acquiring wealth beyond their known sources of income and concealing information in their affidavits. Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special judge Md Asaduzzaman fixed the fresh date. Earlier, on November 01, 2022, Dhaka court issued arrest warrants for Tarique Rahman and his wife Dr Zubaida in the graft case. On June 26, the High court ordered the judicial court to dispose of the case as soon as possible. The HC also rejected the couple’s writ petitions, challenging the corruption case against them. As both of them remain fugitives, the court rejected the writ petitions – saying these are not acceptable. Read more: Arrest warrants issued for Tarique and Zubaida Rahman in corruption case The court also withdrew the stay order on the trial proceedings of the case filed against them. On September 26, 2007, ACC lodged a complaint with Kafrul police against Tarique Rahman, Zubaida and her mother Iqbal Mand Banu for amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 4.81 crore and concealing the information. In the same year, the High Court issued a rule suspending the trial proceedings in the case after hearing a petition filed by Zubaida. The HC rejected the rule in 2017 and asked her to surrender before the court within eight weeks.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday upheld the High Court (HC) order to grant bail to former trustee of North South University (NSU) Mohammad Shahjahan in a graft case lodged last year. A three member justice bench led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order after hearing, said the accused’s counsel Barrister Sayeed Ahmed Raja. He said now there is no legal barrier to walk out of jail  for his client after the Appellate Division upheld the HC order. Anti-Corruption Commissioner (ACC) lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan represented the state in the hearing. On May 5 last year, ACC Deputy Director Md Farid Ahmed filed a case accusing six people including Shahjahan for swindling Tk 3030.82 crore in the name of purchasing land for NSU.   REad: Nayapaltan clash: BNP’s Salam, Annie get 6-month interim bail The other accused are - NSU trustee board chairman Azim Uddin Ahmed, members- Benajir Ahmed, MA Kashem, Rehana Rahman, Ashaloy Housing and Developers Amin managing director Md Hilaly, its chairman Omar Faruk and directors- Anwara Begum and Syed AK Haque. On May 22, the High Court rejected an advanced bail of four out of the six accused and handed them over to the police. December 14, the HC granted bail to Shahjahan on two conditions—not to leave the country and go to the university campus without permission.   Later, the ACC moved the Appellate Division to stay the HC order. The chamber judge stayed the HC order and sent it to a regular bench of the Appellate Division for hearing. As per the schedule, the Appellate Division granted the bail rejecting the petition filed by the ACC on Monday.   According to the Private University Act, 2010, the board of trustees is the highest governing body of a private university like NSU. According to the Memorandum of Association and Articles (Rules and Regulations) of the University, the university is a charitable, welfare oriented, non-commercial and non-profit educational institution. The case stated that over 9,088 decimal land was bought in the name of campus development of NSU through the consent of some members of the board of trustees bypassing the approval of the university syndicate, the University Grants Commission, and the Ministry of Education. The accused later withdrew cash from the buyer through cheques in their own names and kept FDR in their own names. Later, they themselves embezzled the FDR money.