A Dhaka court on Tuesday sent Arifur Rahman Dolon to jail instead of granting bail in a case filed against him on charge of siphoning off Tk 2,000 crore.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Ash-Shams Jaglul Hossain's court passed the order following hearing on a bail petition of him.
Arifur Rahman Dolon is the former vice-president of the central committee of Bangladesh Krishak League, the peasant wing of ruling Bangladesh Awami League. He contested as an independent candidate from Faridpur-1 (Boalmari-Alfadanga-Modhukhali) constitruency of Jatiya Sangsad in the 12th parlaiment election.
Confirming about the order, Additional Public Prosecutor Taposh Kumar Pal said Arifur Rahman Dolon has recently sought bail at the High Court. Instead of granting him bail, the High Court directed him to surrender before a lower court within six weeks. But, he didn't surrender within the stipulated time. Tuesday was scheduled for hearing on accepting the supplementary chargesheet of the case. Surrendering before the court, Arifur Rahman pleaded for granting him bail. After the hearing on his bail petition, the court passed an order to send him to jail. At the same time, the court set April 22 for the next hearing on accepting the supplementary chargesheet.
On June 26, 2020, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Inspector SM Miraj Al Mahmud filed a case with Kafrul Police Station in the capital against former minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain's close aides Sajjad Hossain alias Barkat and his brother former president of Faridpur Press Club Imtiaz Hasan alias Rubel accusing them of laundering Tk 2,000 crore under the Money Laundering Act. On March 3, 2021, the investigation officer of the case Uttam Kumar Saha, also the assistant superintendent of police of the CID, submitted the charge sheet against 10 people including Sajjad and Imtiaz to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court in Dhaka.
Witnessing some anomalies while framing charges in 2022, Judge Mohammad Nazrul Islam of Special Judge's Court-10 directed the CID to re-investigate the case. Later on June 22 last year, the CID submitted a supplementary chargesheet to Special Judge Court-10 of Dhaka accusing more 36 people including Arifur Rahman Dolon. Later, the case was shifted to Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge court.
Among the other accused are Khandaker Mosharraf's assistant personal secretary and former convener of Faridpur district Jubo League AHM Fuad, former Faridpur town Jubo League president Khandakar Nazmul Islam Levi, former general secretary of Faridpur town unit Jubo League Ashiqur Rahman Farhan, General Secretary of Faridpur District Swechchhasebak League Fahad bin Wazed Fahim alias Fahim, former joint convener of Faridpur town Jubo League Kamrul Hasan David, district Jubo League joint convener Mohammad Ali Minar, and Faridpur town Jubo League joint convenor Tariqul Islam alias Nasim.
Of them, Barkat, Rubel, Fuad and Nasim are now in jail while Levi and Farhan are now on bail.
