A Dhaka court has sentenced suspended Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Mizanur Rahman to three years imprisonment, while suspended director of Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) Khandaker Enamul Basir received an eight-year imprisonment in a bribery case.
Judge Sheikh Nazmul Alam of the Special Judge’s Court-4 on Wednesday (February 23) pronounced the verdict in the case filed by the ACC. Both the convicts were in the dock during pronouncement of the judgement.
ACC’s Basir received a three-year sentence under Section 161 (1) of the Penal Code for taking Tk 40 lakh as bribe from Mizan and another five-year imprisonment under the Money Laundering Prevention Act for laundering the amount.
Basir was also fined Tk 80 lakh, in default, six months more imprisonment. His jail sentences will run simultaneously, which means he will only have to spend five years in jail.
However, Ex-DIG Mizan received the three-year sentence under Section 165 of the Penal Code for giving the amount as bribe.
In the judgement, the judge said that the time that Mizan and Basir have already spent in jail would be deducted from their total sentence.
Earlier, the prosecution and the defence completed their arguments and the court recorded statements of 12 witnesses, including that of complainant of the case.
The court framed charges against the two accused on March 18 in 2021. On January 15 the same year, the ACC submitted charge sheet against the duo for their involvement in taking and giving Tk 40 lakh bribe.
The anti-graft body filed the graft case against them with its Integrated District Office in Dhaka on July 16 in 2019.
A private television channel aired a report in which DIG Mizan alleged that ACC’s Basir had taken bribe from him for clearing him from a graft allegation. Following the report, the ACC formed a three-member committee to investigate the matter.
Audio clips of mobile conversations between DIG Mizan and Basir were aired on the television.
Later, the ACC suspended Basir after analysing the probe report on June 12 in 2019. Later, he was arrested from Mirpur area in the capital on July 22.
In May of 2019, the ACC launched an enquiry into the alleged accumulation of illegal wealth by Mizan, who came to spotlight after his marital scandal. He was later withdrawn as additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
The ACC had tasked Basir with the enquiry into Mizan’s wealth.
Mizan was withdrawn on January 9 in 2018, following allegations of threatening a female news presenter of a private television channel. He reportedly picked up a 25-year-old woman in 2017 and forcibly married her.
On April 25 in 2019, the ACC summoned Mizan and quizzed him.
The High Court on July 1 in 2019 handed Mizan over to police after he had surrendered before the higher court seeking bail in a case filed over acquiring over Tk 3 crore through illegal means.
