A special court yesterday awarded businessman Giasuddin Al Mamun 10-year and his wife Shahina Yeasmin three-year rigorous imprisonment in a case for amassing huge ill-gotten wealth, highest among the bigwigs.
The Special Court-7 of Judge Sirajul Islam found Mamun, the closest aide to BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman, and his wife guilty of amassing Tk 111.3 crore illegally.
Mamun was also fined Tk 10 lakh, and will have to serve one more year behind bars if he fails to pay the sum. The court also ordered the wealth amassed illegally to be confiscated by the state.
The court set up in the MP Hostel in Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex gave the verdict under sections 27 (1) of ACC Act, 2004 and 109 of Bangladesh Penal Code.
As Shahina was tried in absentia, her punishment would take effect from the day she is arrested or surrenders to the court.
Of the total ill-gotten wealth, Mamun accumulated wealth worth over Tk 101.73 crore and Shahina over Tk 9.22 crore.
Mamun, who embarked on the career of a businessman in 1991 with investment of only Tk 39,000, became owner of 9,000 shares worth Tk 33.94 crore in business and 45 accounts at home and abroad in five years. His wealth reached Tk 141.74 crore due to his relations with Tarique just in five years of BNP-led four-party alliance government between 2001 and 2006.
Of the total ill-gotten amount, Mamun whitened Tk 30.71 crore in 2005-2006.
He was present on the dock during delivery of the judgment looking quite impulsive.
A number of former BNP ministers and lawmakers with close links to Hawa Bhaban, the BNP chairperson's Banani office, are reportedly his business partners. His syndicate reportedly earned thousands of crores of taka by selling concrete electric poles to the Rural Electrification Board through his business firm Khamba Ltd.
As the judge appeared in the court, the defence pleaded to adjourn delivery of the verdict until the petition they filed with High Court seeking stay on verdict delivery is deposed of.
The court however rejected the petition and delivered the verdict just in a minute saying the allegations brought against Mamun and his wife have been proved.
"The case has so far the biggest one as it involves the largest amount of ill-gotten wealth of Tk 111 crore among the graft suspects listed by ACC," said prosecution lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajol.
"ACC made irregularities even in filing the case against our client as financial account of a whole company was attributed on his shoulder as his illegal income when a company might have 11 directors," said defence lawyer MABM Khairul Islam.
Deposition by 90 witnesses was taken, seven of who gave deposition in favour of Mamun, during the trial proceedings.
Assistant Director of ACC Ibrahim filed the case with Cantonment police against Mamun and his wife on May 8 last year for accumulating over Tk 66 crore wealth illegally. ACC Assistant Director Tahsinul Haque investigated the case revealing the huge amount of wealth owned by Mamun.
The joint forces arrested Mamun at his Gulshan residence on March 26.
Another special court on June 7 jailed Mamun, who was on the first list of 50 graft suspects published by ACC on February 18 last year, for three years in connection with a non-submission case filed by ACC on April 5 for not submitting his wealth statement.
He was earlier awarded 10-year imprisonment for possessing illegal firearms.