A Dhaka court today sentenced Partha Gopal Banik, a suspended deputy inspector general (prisons) of Sylhet division, to eight years' imprisonment in a case filed over recovery of Tk 80 lakh from his Dhanmondi residence in July 2020.
Judge Shaikh Nazmul Alam of the Special Judge's Court-4 of Dhaka handed down the verdict in presence of Partha, the lone accused in the case, at the courtroom.
The court also fined him Tk 50,000, in default of which he will have to serve three months more in jail.
The sentence was given in two separate charges but the sentence will be run concurrently.
The court sentenced him to three years of imprisonment as he, being a government official, got involved with corruption while five years for his illegal income, the judge said while delivering the verdict.
Out of the total Tk 80 lakh that recovered from his residence, Tk 65 lakh has been amassed illegally while the rest was earned legally.
The court also asked the authorities concerned to confiscate the Tk 65 lakh illegal amount in favour of the state while Tk 15 lakh will be handed over to the convict's family as those were earn legally.
This is the first ever in Bangladesh that a high-ranked police official was jailed in a graft case, the prosecution said.
In the judgment, the judge said the prosecution was able to prove the charges brought against the accused beyond undoubtedly and he was sentenced in the case.
Soon after the verdict, defence lawyer Ehsanul Haque Shomaji said they did not get justice and they would challenge it with the higher court.
Earlier, the prosecution and the defence completed their arguments and the court recorded statements of 12 prosecution witnesses, including complainant of the case.
On July 29 of 2020, Director of Anti-Corruption Commission Mohammad Yousuf quizzed Partha over allegations that he committed irregularities and corruption as DIG (prisons) of Chattogram division.
After interrogation, the ACC team, accompanied by Partha, went to his Green Road residence in the capital and recovered Tk 80 lakh.
They later detained him and showed him arrested after the case was filed against him on the same day.
The following day, Partha was sent to jail after he was produced before a Dhaka court.
On August 24 last year, the ACC Deputy Director Md Salauddin, also investigation officer, submitted the charge sheet to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka.
On November 4 that year, the Special Judge's Court-10 of Dhaka framed charges against Partha.
