Ex-Sonali Bank MD, eight others jailed

A Dhaka court sentenced nine people including the former managing director (MD) of Sonali Bank to 17-year imprisonment under two separate sections in a case lodged over embezzling more than Tk 27 lakh through loan forgery.

Judge Iqbal Hossain of Dhaka Special Sessions Judge Court-5 pronounced the judgement in presence of the four convicts on Wednesday.

The nine convicts are- former managing director (MD) Humayun Kabir, deputy managing director (DMD) Mainul Haque, general manager (GM) Noni Gopal Nath, deputy general managers (DGM) Sheikh Altaf Hossain and Sofij Uddin Ahmed, assistant general managers (AGM) Kamrul Hossain Khan and Saiful Hasan, Paragon Knit Composite Limited MD Saiful Islam Raza and director Abdullah Al Mamun.

Of the nine, Mainul Haque, Sofij Uddin Ahmed, Sheikh Altaf Hossain and Kamrul Hossain Khan were present during the pronouncement of the judgment and were sent to jail afterwards with conviction warrant. The other convicts are yet to be arrested.

The court in its judgment sentenced the convicts’ 10-year imprisonment and fined Tk 27.5 lakh each for embezzling money and sentenced seven-year imprisonment and fined Tk 50,000 each for forgery. But as both the sentences would run concurrently, the convicts have to suffer 10-year imprisonment only.

ACC filed the case with Ramna police station on January 1, 2013, and filed charge-sheet on May 22, 2014.