A Chattogram court has sentenced three former officials of the Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) (currently Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited, or BTCL) to 44 years in prison for embezzling Tk1.66 crore through forgery, bringing an end to a legal battle that lasted 27 years.
Judge Md Mizanur Rahman of the Chattogram Divisional Special Judge Court delivered the verdict on Monday. The convicts – cashier Mohammad Hossain and divisional engineers Md Kamrul Alam and Sadikur Rahman Khan – were absent in court, prompting the judge to issue arrest warrants against them.
Each accused was convicted under five sections of the Penal Code and one section of the Corruption Prevention Act of 1947, receiving a total of 44 years in prison. They were given 10 years each under sections 409 and 467, 5 years each under sections 420 and 468, and 7 years each under section 471 and section 5(2) of the Corruption Prevention Act.
Each was also fined Tk1 crore, with an additional 3 years and 6 months for non-payment. However, as all sentences will run concurrently, they will serve a maximum of 10 years.
According to case documents, between 1 January and 26 December 1994, cashier Mohammad Hossain abused his power and withdrew Tk1.66 crore more than the actual entitlement from the bank through 24 cheques. Instead of depositing the money into the government treasury or recording it in the cash book, he embezzled it with the assistance of the then divisional engineers.
The case was filed on 31 October 1999, at Doublemooring Police Station by then District Anti-Corruption Officer Md. Nur Ahmmed. After a long investigation and the death of an accused, the ACC submitted the charge sheet on 30 April 2013. Testimony from 13 witnesses was recorded.
ACC Public Prosecutor Md Rezaul Karim Rony told TIMES of Bangladesh that the accused had embezzled a large amount of government money through a planned conspiracy, which was proven beyond doubt in court.
“Although it took a long time, justice has been established through this verdict,” he said.
