Suspended DIG Bazlur gets 5 yr jail sentence, Tk 31m fine

A Dhaka court has sentenced suspended deputy inspector general (DIG) prisons, Bazlur Rashid, to five-year imprisonment in a case of amassing wealth beyond the known sources of income.

He has also been slapped with a fine of Tk 31 million in the case. Md Iqbal Hossain, judge of Dhaka special judge court-5, passed the order on Sunday.

Mosharraf Hossain, prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), confirmed the news to Prothom Alo, saying the convict has been sent to prison following the verdict.

The ACC had arrested Bazlur almost three years ago on 28 October 2019, as part of its investigation into the allegations of corruption against him. Later, the commission filed a case against him for accumulating illegal wealth of Tk 31 million.

The investigating agency pressed charges before the court on 26 August, 2020. Later, the court framed charges against Bazlur Rashid on 22 October of the year.

According to the charge sheet, Bazlur Rashid bought a 2,981 sq ft apartment in the under-construction Swapna Niloy project of the Rupayan Housing State. He paid Tk 30.08 million as the price of the apartment.

However, he failed to show any valid source for the amount he paid to purchase the apartment. He did not mention anything regarding the purchase in his income tax returns.