Ex-MP Poton, 4 others imprisoned in fertilizer embezzlement case

A court here on Wednesday sent five people including former Narsingdi-2 lawmaker Kamrul Ashraf Khan Poton to jail in a case filed by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for allegedly embezzling fertilizer worth around Taka 581 crore.

The other accused in the case are- Poton Traders', a contracting firm owned by Poton, general managers Md Shahadat Hossain Nipu and Nazmul Alam Badal, its North Bengal representative Sohrab Hossain and Khulna representative Md Ataur Rahman.

Dhaka Senior Special Judge Mohammad Ash Shams Zaglul Hossain passed the order, scrapping bail of the five accused.

ACC deputy director Md Rafikuzzaman filed the case on 26 November, 2023, against the five for embezzling the fertilizer imported by the government from 1 November, 2021, to 30 July, 2022.

Poton Traders was assigned to carry the fertilizer to the warehouses from the port within 50 days of releasing from there. But it allegedly embezzled around 72,000 tonnes of imported chemical fertilizer.