Ex-MD of Sonali Bank, 7 others jailed in graft case

A court on Thursday convicted and sentenced eight people including the former managing director of Sonali Bank to different jail terms in a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The eight convicts are- former managing director of Sonali Bank Humayun Kabir, deputy managing director Mainul Haque, general manager Noni Gopal Nath, assistant general managers Saiful Hasan and Qamrul Hossain Khan, deputy general manager Sofij Uddin Ahmed, Paragon Printing and Packaging Ltd MD Md Saiful Islam Raja, and its director Abdullah Al Mamun.

Judge Iqbal Hossain of Dhaka Special Sessions Judge Court-5 pronounced the judgment in the presence of the three convicts.

Of the eight, Humayun Kabir, Noni Gopal Nath, Saiful Hasan, Saiful Islam Raja and Abdullah Al Mamun were sentenced to total 17-year jail under two separate sections, and fined them Taka 2.17 crore in total.

The court sentenced Sofij Uddin Ahmed, Qamrul Hossain Khan and Mainul Haque to eight years imprisonment each under two separate sections and fined them Taka 2.17 crore in total.

The court also acquitted Sonali Bank deputy general manager Altaf Hossain as the charges framed against him, were not proved. Of the eight, Mainul Haque, Sofij Uddin Ahmed, and Qamrul Hossain Khan were present during the pronouncement of the judgment and were sent back to jail with conviction warrant.

Then ACC assistant director Ekramul Haque Chowdhury filed the case with Ramna Model Police Station on January 1, 2013, for embezzling Taka 2.16 crore through forgery. The ACC on May 22, 2014, filed charge-sheet in the case.

The court on April 6, 2015, framed charges against the accused and today came up with its judgment after examining 42 of the total 55 witnesses.