BNP leader Chand gets 3 years jail

A court in Rajshahi has sentenced the district unit BNP convener Abu Sayeed Chand to three years in jail in a case of money embezzlement and forgery filed in 2004.

Senior Judicial Magistrate Maruf Allam of Rajshahi Judicial Magistrate Court-1 delivered the verdict on Sunday, Chand's lawyer Shamsad Begum Mitali confirmed.

The case statement said accused Chand, Alim Uddin and Waznabi founded a Bamondighi Charjhikra Technical School in Charghat upazila of Rajshahi in 2004.

They demanded extortion from the plaintiffs and witnesses assuring them of appointing them to different posts of the school and took a total of Tk 14 lakh from them on different occasions in December of 2004.

The accusers and witnesses, based on appointment, joined the institution and performed their duties but they were not paid any salary and allowance and even, the students were not registered.

Contacting the Technical Education Board, they, later, came to know that the school had no approval and the accused gave them fake appointment letters.

Later, the victims filed the case on July 29, 2007.

Advocate Mitali said Chand was awarded three years in jail and fined Tk 5,000 in that lawsuit and rest two accused were acquitted as they were not found guilty.

She said her client was not involved in the money embezzlement and cheating and he had no signature in the appointment letters.

He was a union parishad chairman at that time and was sentenced for that reason, she added.

Chand's son Md Oliv said the verdict is false, baseless and motivated.

Shakhawat Hossain/SU