BSS
Published:24 Aug 2021, 05:36 PM
Testimony of PWs ended in graft case against former CJ Sinha
Recording testimony of prosecution witnesses (PW) ended Tuesday in a case against former Chief Justice (CJ) Surendra Kumar Sinha (SK Sinha) and 10 others for allegedly embezzling Taka four crore from the then Farmers Bank and laundering the money abroad.
Judge Sheikh Nazmul Alam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 after that adjourned the hearing till August 29. The defence is scheduled to produce witnesses on that day.
Today the defence concluded cross-examining of the investigation officer (IO) and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director Benjir Ahmed. The IO had submitted his testimony on April 1.
A total of 21 prosecution witnesses testified in the case. Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 on August 13, 2020, framed charges in the case.
ACC director Benjir Ahmed had filed the charge-sheet in the case with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge KM Imrul Qayes on December 10, 2019.
The court, however, on February 20, 2020, transferred the case to Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 for further proceedings. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on July 10, 2019, for embezzling Taka four crore from the then Farmers Bank and laundering the money abroad.
The other accused are former Farmers Bank managing director AKM Shameem, first vice-presidents Swapan Kumar Roy and Shafiuddin Askaree, senior executive vice-president Gazi Salauddin, vice-presidents M Lutful Haque, Md Mahbubul Haque Chisty alias Babul Chisty, bank clients Md Shahjahan, Niranjan Chandra Saha, his uncle Ranajit Chandra Saha, and Ranajit's wife Santi Roy.
According to the allegation, Md Shahjahan and Niranjan took the money on loan from the then Farmers Bank, which was later transferred to Justice Sinha's Sonali Bank account, showing it was earned from selling of his (Sinha's) house.