Two ex-bankers get 10 yrs, 9 others 5 yrs

The court also sentenced nine other officials to five years' RI and fined them Tk 10 lakh each in the same case.

The convicts who got 10-year RI are former manager of Janata Bank at Mitford Branch AKM Wahiduzzaman Khan and an official of the same branch Belayet Hossain Khan. Both the convicts were tried in absentia.

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The nine other convicts are Jalal Uddin, Zahangir Hossain, Kazi Mokarram Hossain, Abdus Sattar, Shamsul Gani, Jamil Akhter, Yar Omar Khan, Ruhul Amin Patwary and Mohammad Hanif. Of them, Mokarram, Omar, Patwary and Hanif were tried in absentia.

In the case filed with Lalbagh Police Station, it was alleged that the two officials in collusion with others misappropriated Tk 2,45,04,500 some customers of Small Industry Corporation deposited with the bank in the form of nine cheques on different dates. They withdrew the money through forged vouchers and cheques on May 3, 1983.

The court acquitted nine other accused as the charges brought against them were not proved.

The punishment of the fugitives will be effective from the date of their arrest or surrender, the judge said.

Judge Mohammad Rezaul karim Khan of the Special Court for Dhaka Division gave the verdict at a jam-packed courtroom.

Earlier, the prosecution and the defence completed their arguments and the court recorded statements of 20 prosecution witnesses.

Md Rezaur Rahman, former manager of the bank, filed the case accusing Wahiduzzaman and Belayet on May 6, 1983 and the investigation officer pressed charges against Wahid and 19 others on January 23 the next year.