Casino bros jailed for 7yrs

A Dhaka court on Monday sentenced 11 people, including expelled Awami League leaders Enamul Haque Bhuiyan Enu and Rupon Bhuiyan, to seven-year imprisonment in a money laundering case filed with the capital’s Wari police station.

The court also fined them of Tk 4 crore.

Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-5 judge Iqbal Hossain handed down the verdict.

The other convicts in the case are — Joy Gopal Sarkar, Merajul Haque Bhuiyan Shiplu, Rashidul Haque Bhuiyan, Sahidul Haque Bhuiyan, Pavel Rahman, Tuhin Munshi, Abul Kalam Azad, Nabir Hossain Sikder and Saiful Islam.

Of the accused, Shiplu, Rashidul, Sahidul and Pavel were absconding since the beginning of the trial while Tuhin remained absconding since after getting bail. The other six accused are in jail.

The state lawyer, special public prosecutor Shawkat Alam, expected the highest 12 years’ imprisonment for the accused.

The Defence pleader Ehasanul Haque said that the court mentioned that the jailed period would be deducted from the punishment.

The defence pleader said that he would file appeal before the high court against the verdict.

After investigating the case, CID inspector Mohammad Chadek Ali filed a charge-sheet against 11 people on July 21 in 2020.

The court then framed charges against the accused on January 5, 2021. During the trial, the court took the testimony of 10 out of 20 witnesses.

Enamul, who used to run casinos at Dhaka Wanderers Club, is former vice-president of the Gendaria unit of Awami League while Rupon was the joint general secretary of the same AL unit.

According to the lawsuit, RAB cordoned off the house of Abul Kalam Azad, an employee of Wanderers Club, at Lalmohan Saha Street in Wari on September 24, 2019 in an anti-casino operation.

According to Kalam’s wife and daughter, Tk 2 crore was recovered from the second floor of the house. RAB-3 police inspector Ziaul Hasan filed a case with Wari police station on November 25 over the incident.

Nine others also sentenced to seven years imprisonment