A Dhaka court today sentenced expelled Jubo League leader Golam Kibria Shamim, widely known as GK Shamim, to 10 years' imprisonment in a case filed over laundering Tk 195 crore to Singapore and Malaysia.
His seven bodyguards -- Md Delwar Hossain, Md Murad Hossain, Md Jahidul Islam, Md Shahidul Islam, Md Kamal Hossain, Md Samsad Hossain and Md Aminul Islam -- were each sentenced to four years in jail for assisting GK Shamim, a top contractor of government projects, in acquiring the laundered money.
The court also fined them Tk 3.83 crore each, in default of which they will have to suffer one year more in jail.
Judge Md Nazrul Islam of the Special Court-10 of Dhaka handed down the sentence in presence of GK Shamim and seven others at the courtroom.
In the judgment, the judge said the prosecution was able to prove the charges against GK Shamim and others "undoubtedly" and they were given punishment for committing such offences.
Earlier, the prosecution and the defence had completed their arguments and the judge so far recorded statements of 23 prosecution witnesses, including the complainant of the case.
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted chargesheet against the accused on August 4 of 2020.
On November 10 of the same year, the same court framed charges against GK Shamim and his seven bodyguards in the case.
Abu Sayeed, an additional special superintendent of organised economic crime unit at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the investigation officer of the case, said in the charge sheet that Shamim has Tk 337.3 crore in 180 fixed deposit accounts with different banks, two houses in the capital and 52 kathas of land worth Tk 41 crore.
Shamim amassed the wealth through tender manipulation at government departments and extortion at bus terminals and cattle markets, the charge further added.
Rapid Action Battalion members on September 20 of 2019 arrested Shamim on charges of extortion and tender manipulation. His bodyguards were also arrested then. Later, Rab filed three cases against Shamim with Gulshan Police Station.
On September 25 last year, another Dhaka tribunal sentenced GK Shamim and his seven bodyguards to life in prison in an arms case.
