Court Frames Charges Against Contractor GK Shamim in Chittagong University Project Fraud Case

A Chittagong divisional special court on Sunday formally framed charges against contractor Golam Kibria Shamim, widely known as GK Shamim, in a corruption case involving the fraudulent acquisition of a project at the University of Chittagong. Judge Mizanur Rahman issued the order for the commencement of the trial following a hearing, according to Public Prosecutor Rezaul Karim.

The court has scheduled the start of witness testimony for September 20. The case centers on allegations that GK Shamim’s construction firm, The Builders Engineers-GKBL (JV), secured a 750 million taka contract for the construction of the university’s second Arts and Humanities Faculty building through systemic document forgery.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case on November 22, 2020, through Fakhrul Islam, then assistant director of the ACC’s Chittagong District-1 integrated office. According to the charge sheet, the defendant manipulated company registration details, inflated share counts, and submitted falsified documentation to satisfy mandatory experience and turnover requirements for the tender. These fraudulent records included fabricated certificates regarding past high-rise construction projects and ten years of industry experience.

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Investigations conducted by the ACC, including a verification of documents with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms, confirmed that the tender process had been compromised. Following the investigation, the commission submitted a charge sheet to the court on May 17, 2023. GK Shamim was shown arrested in this case on February 2, 2021, and was subsequently granted bail in 2023.

GK Shamim previously gained national notoriety in September 2019, when the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) raided his business offices in Niketan, Dhaka, during a crackdown on illicit casino operations. Authorities recovered large sums of cash, fixed deposit receipts, firearms, and alcohol during the operation. He and his seven bodyguards were arrested at that time, leading to several legal proceedings against him, two of which have already resulted in convictions.