Babar gets 8-year jail in graft case

A court here today sentenced former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar to eight-year imprisonment in a graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), reports BSS.

Judge Mohammad Shahidul Islam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-7 pronounced the judgement in presence of Babar and later sent him to jail with conviction warrant.

Earlier on 4 October, the court had set today to hand down the verdict as both the prosecution and defence concluded their parts of closing argument on that day.

The court on 21 September read out the charges brought against Babar and testimonies of the prosecution witnesses. The court later asked Babar whether he wants to plead guilty or not.

In reply, Babar had pleaded not guilty and demanded justice from the court.

The ACC filed the case against Babar with Ramna police station on 13 January in 2008, for amassing illegal wealth of around Taka 70.5 million.

Deputy assistant director of the ACC Rupok Kumar Saha on 16 July, 2008, filed a charge sheet in the case.

The court on 12 August, 2008, indicted Babar in the graft case.

Babar has already been convicted and sentenced to death in cases filed over the gruesome grenade attack on an Awami League rally in the capital's Bangabandhu Avenue on 21 August, 2004, and Chattogram 10-truck arms haul.