Two testify in graft case against ex-CJ Sinha
Two persons on Tuesday testified in a case against former Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha and 10 others for allegedly embezzling Tk 40 million (4 crore) from the then Farmers Bank and laundering the money abroad, reports news agency BSS.
They are Abu Zahid Anshari, vice president of Uttara Branch of Dhaka Bank Limited, and Mohammad Mahbub Hossain, bench reader of the Supreme Court.
They testified and were cross-examined by the lawyers of the accused in the court of judge Sheikh Nazmul Alam of Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4. The court fixed 14 February for the next testimony. Out of the 21 witnesses in the case, 18 have completed their testimony till now.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on 10 July 2019, on allegation of embezzling Tk 40 million (4 crore) from the then Farmers Bank and laundering the money abroad.
Investigation Officer (IO) and ACC director Benjir Ahmed filed the charge-sheet in the case with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge KM Imrul Qayes on 10 December 2019.
The court, however, on 20 February 2020, transferred the case to Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 for further proceedings. Dhaka Special Judge Court-4, on 13 August 2020 framed charges in the case.
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-president M Lutful Haque, bank’s entrepreneur director Md Mahbubul Haque Chisty alias Babul Chisty, bank clients Md Shahjahan, Niranjan Chandra Saha, his uncle Ranajit Chandra Saha, and Ranajit’s wife Santree Roy.
According to the allegation, Md Shahjahan and Niranjan took the money on loan from then Farmers Bank, which was later transferred to CJ Sinha’s Sonali Bank account, showing it was earned from selling of Sinha’s house.
The case alleges that the former Farmers Bank (now Padma Bank) borrowed Tk 40 million (4 crore) in the name of others with fake information and later transferred it to SK Sinha’s bank.
According to the complaint, money was later smuggled from that bank account through transfer and conversion. The ACC says the investigation into the case has found the allegations to be true.