Former UP chairman sentenced to 13 years in Jashore VGD rice embezzlement case
The court ordered 13 years of rigorous imprisonment and fine to the former UP chairman of Jessore's Abhaynagar Upazila in the case of misappropriation of VGD rice allocated for poor women. Jessore Special Session Judge and Special Judge Court Judge SM Nurul Islam gave this order on Sunday.
Convicted Babul Akhter is the former UP Chairman of Baghutia Union of Abhaynagar Upazila. As he was absent from the court when the verdict was pronounced, a warrant was issued against him.
When asked about this, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Public Counsel (PP) Sirajul Islam told Prothom Alo that the court sentenced the former chairman of Baghutia Union Parishad, Babul Akhtar, to 10 years for rice embezzlement and 3 years for abuse of power, making a total of 13 years. Apart from this, fine has been given. Failure to pay the said amount will result in seizure of his property. The accused appeared in the court in the morning but was not found when the verdict was announced. He may not have come to the courtroom after understanding the situation.
According to the statement of the case, a total of 7,800 kg (7.8 metric tons) of VGD rice was allocated to 260 beneficiaries in 30 kg increments in December 2018. The then chairman of Baghutia Union, Babul Akhter, lifted this rice from the government warehouse on December 10 of that year. However, he embezzled the raised rice without distributing it to the beneficiaries and without taking it to the Union Parishad. In that incident, the UP members made a written complaint to the office of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO). Upazila Women's Affairs Officer Rani Majumder filed a case at Abhaynagar Police Station on January 16, 2019 after the initial investigation confirmed the allegations. After investigating the case, ACC Assistant Director Mahfuz Iqbal filed a charge sheet in the court on February 22, 2020 accusing the UP Chairman.
ACC Government Counsel Sirajul Islam said that after taking long testimony and hearing, the court sentenced the former UP Chairman to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, a fine of five thousand taka and another 3 months of unpaid imprisonment. At the same time he was sentenced to another 3 years rigorous imprisonment under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947. Apart from this, the judge has ordered to confiscate the embezzled rice worth Tk 3 lakh 37 thousand 508 in favor of the state, which will be recoverable from the immovable property of the accused. As per the direction of the court, the sentences of both the sections will be executed one after the other. In this, the accused will have to serve a total of 13 years in prison.
