Mirza Abbas

A special court dealing with graft cases yesterday sentenced detained former housing and public works minister Mirza Abbas to eight years' imprisonment on charges of dodging tax and furnishing false information in his tax returns.
The Third Special Court of Judge Shahed Nuruddin also fined Abbas Tk 54 lakh, in default of which he would have to serve another year in jail.
The court also ordered confiscation of his property worth over Tk 2.24 crore to the state.
The former minister was handed down the punishment under two sections of Income Tax Ordinance, 1984.
He was sentenced to three years' jail under section 165 of the ordinance for providing false information in 13 tax returns since 1990-1991 tax year and was given five years' jail under section 166 for evading Tk 57 lakh in tax by concealing information about wealth worth over Tk 2.24 crore.
However, Abbas will have to serve only five years in jail as the court ordered the sentences to be carried out concurrently. The verdict will take effect from the day Abbas is arrested in the cases.
“I am innocent…I did not commit any illegal activities. I have always paid taxes,” Abbas, who was present in the court, said after the delivery of the verdict adding that he would go to the higher court challenging the order.
Rezaul Karim, deputy tax commissioner of National Board of Revenue (NBR), filed the cases on August 5 last year accusing Abbas of evading tax upon his income of Tk 2,24,68,059 for the years between 1990 and 2007.
Abbas, who was on the first list of 50 graft suspects, was arrested when he went to submit his wealth statement to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on February 25 last year.
He is facing a number of cases. These include the 15 cases filed regarding hand over of 18 houses, which are now under trial with special court.
Abbas is also a co-accused in the plot purchase graft case against former lawmaker Ali Asgar Lobi.
He is accused in a money laundering case as well.
Motijheel police filed the case after joint forces seized a huge amount of local and foreign currencies and other items from the South Shahjahanpur house of Mirza Abbas on February 4, 2007.