POBNEWS24, Dhaka, Nov 9, 2021: A Dhaka court has sentenced former Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha (SK Sinha) to 11-year imprisonment in a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on charge of laundering Tk 4 crore from Farmers Bank (Now Padma Bank). The court also fined him Tk 45 lakh.
Two accused were acquitted of the charges as allegation brought against them were not proven.
Besides, the court sentenced eight others to different terms of jail sentence in the case.
Judge of Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 Sheikh Nazmul Alam passed the order on Tuesday (November 9).
Earlier, on September 14, Judge Shaikh Nazmul Alam of the Dhaka Fourth Special Judge’s Court fixed the verdict date on October 5 after completion of the closing arguments in the case. Later, it was deferred to October 21 due to the illness of the judge.
The court again fixed November 9 to pronounce the verdict in the graft case as the verdict was not ready to be announced on October 21.
On July 10, 2019 the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case for embezzling Tk 4 crore from Farmers Bank (now Padma Bank).
Apart from SK Sinha, the other accused in the case are – Md Mahbubul Huque Chisty alias Babul Chisty, former chairman of the audit committee of Farmers Bank Limited, first vice-presidents Swapan Kumar Roy and Shafiuddin Ashkari, vice president Md. Lutful Huque, former MD AKM Shameem, former SEVP Gazi Salahuddin, bank clients Md. Shahjahan, Niranjan Chandra Saha, his uncle Ranajit Chandra Saha, and Ranajit’s wife Santree Roy.
On December 8 the same year, ACC Director Md Benjir Ahammad, also the investigation officer of the case, pressed charges against the accused.
The trial began on August 13 last year through framing of the charges against the 11 accused.
