Mirza Abbas indicted on graft charges

A Dhaka court on Thursday indicted BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas and two others on graft charges. Trial to begin on 1 January, 2017.

The other two people facing charges are former state minister for housing and public works Alamgir Kabir and former joint secretary of the ministry Bijon Kanti Sarker.

The Dhaka Special Court-4 judge, Aminul Haque, gave the order to start the trial. He also ordered acquittal of National Housing Authority (NHA) accountant Monsur Alam and accounts assistant Motiar Rahman from the lawsuit.

Testimony in the trail will begin on 1 January, 2017.

According to the charges state minister for housing and public works Alamgir Kabir authorised the allotment of seven acres of land in Mirpur to Dhaka Journalists Cooperatives Limited in 2006 when Mirza Abbas was the minister.

The land was earlier allegedly allotted to a cooperative society named Jhilmil Bohumukhi Samabay Samity.

Due to the state mnister’s involvement, the NHA abused its power, allegedly cancelling the earlier allotment without reason and allotting the land to Dhaka Journalists Cooperatives Limited at below market value, causing state losses amounting to more than Tk 155 million.

The case was filed with Shahbagh Police Station on 6 March, 2014 by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC).

After investigation, the ACC submitted the charge sheet against five people, including Mirza Abbas, to the court on 12 February, 2015.