Former home minister jailed for amassing illegal wealth

Dhaka, Oct 8 (UNI)Former Bangladesh home minister Mohammad Nasim was today handed ten-year rigorous and three-year simple imprisonment for amassing illegal wealth and concealing information about it.

Special Court-1 of justice Firoz Alam also fined him Tk 10 lakh, in default of which he has to toil for one more year in the prision, reports Daily Star.

Nasim's wife Laila Arzumand Banu was also sentenced to three years' simple imprisonment in the same case, after she was found guilty of abetting her husband in acquiring ill-gotten wealth. The court also fined her Tk 1 lakh, failing which she will have to suffer one more month in jail.

The court also directed the government to confiscate their wealth worth Tk 1.67 crore, which is disproportionate to their known sources of income.

On March 21, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) deputy director Akhter Hossain filed the case against Nasim, also a front ranking Awami League leader, and his wife with Dhanmondi Police Station for giving 'false information' in their wealth statement submitted to the ACC.

In the case, the ACC official alleged that the couple amassed wealth worth about Tk 1.26 crore, which was disproportionate to their known sources of income.

UNI