A Dhaka Court has sentenced expelled general secretary of Jubo Mohila League Narsingdi district unit Shamima Nur Papia and her husband Mofizur Rahman Sumon each to 20 years of life imprisonment for illegal possession of firearms and seven more years as a bullet was also recovered along with a firearm.
Judge KM Imrul Kayesh of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court delivered the verdict on Monday when police produced them before a crowded courtroom in the afternoon.
Both the sentence would run concurrently, meaning the couple will have to suffer total 20 years behind the bars.
Earlier on September 27, the same court fixed October 12 to hand down its verdict on a case filed against Papia and her husband under Arms Act.
Judge KM Imrul Kayesh set the date after concluding hearing the argument of both the prosecution and the defence in the arms case on September 27.
Earlier on September 24, the prosecution in its arguments in the case pleaded to sentence the accused to life imprisonment.
The state body sought the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for Papia and her husband after presenting arguments in the arms case.
Public Prosecutor Abdullah Abu told the court they could prove the case against Papia and her husband and sought life-term imprisonment for them.
The prosecution concluded its arguments in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge KM Imrul Kayesh on September 24.
On September 9, Papia and Sumon claimed themselves innocent in their self-defence statements before the court in the arms case. The court then fixed September 24 for the next hearing and for the state to present arguments.
Earlier on September 8, a Dhaka court concluded recording statements of witnesses against Papia and her husband in the case.
On August 23, a Dhaka court framed charges against them in the case. The court also rejected their petition for clearing them from the charges.
Earlier, Sub-Inspector Md Arifuzzaman on June 29 submitted the charge-sheet in the case filed with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station to Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court.
RAB members on February 23 raided two flats belonging to Papia and Sumon after arresting them at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on February 22.
The RAB men seized counterfeit notes, foreign currencies and around 2.5 lakh taka. They also recovered around 58 lakh taka raiding two more of their flats at Indira Road in Dhaka and also a presidential suite at a five-star hotel in the capital.
Apart from the lavish flats in Dhaka, Papia and Sumon, a former Chhatra League leader, own two more flats and two plots, worth around 2 crore taka, in Narsingdi and a number of luxurious cars.
Later, three cases were filed -- two with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station under the Arms Act and the Special Powers Act while another with Airport police station under the Special Powers Act-1974.
nh/teb
