A Dhaka court on Monday accepted charge sheet against 47 people including former general secretary of Faridpur town Awami League Sazzad Hossain Barkat and his brother Imtiaz Hasan Rubel in a case filed over laundering of Taka 2,000 crore.
Besides this the court also exonerated five people including former general secretary of Faridpur district Awami League, Bipul Ghosh from the charges.
Judge Mohammad Ash Shams Jaglul Hossain of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge court passed the order after taking the charge sheet filed by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) into cognizance, said Additional Public Prosecutor Tapash Kumar Pal.
Of the accused, Barkat, Rubel and former minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossains former APS AHM Fuad are now in jail while seven people, including Mosharrafs brother Khandaker Mohtesam Hossain Babar and Dhaka Times Editor Arifur Rahman Dolon are now on bail.
The rest 37 charge-sheeted accused are absconding since the case was filed.
The case was originally filed by the CID with Kafrul Police Station in June 2020 against Sajjad Hossain Barkat and his brother Imtiaz Hasan Rubel, both leaders of Faridpur district AL.
The fugitives include former president of Faridpur district Chhatra League Nishan Mahmud Shamim, former labour affairs secretary of Faridpur municipality AL Billal Hossain, leading contractor and former president of Faridpur Chamber of Commerce and Industries Siddiqur Rahman, former Faridpur Chhatra League general secretary Saiful Islam Jibon, law affairs secretary of Faridpur district AL Animesh Roy, and former Faridpur district AL vice-president and former Faridpur Sadar Upazila chairman Shamsul Alam Chowdhury.
The judge issued arrest warrants against all the fugitives as they did not get bail from any other courts in the country.
CID Inspector SM Miraj Al Mahmud on June 26 in 2020, filed the case with Kafrul Police Station in the capital against former minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossains close aides Sajjad Hossain alias Barkat and his brother former president of Faridpur Press Club Imtiaz Hasan alias Rubel accusing them of laundering Taka 2,000 crore.
The first charge sheet in the case was submitted against 10 people to a court on March 3 in 2021. Later a Dhaka court on September 1 in 2022, said the charge sheet was submitted without following the proper procedure and ordered further probe.
On June 26 in 2023 CIDs Additional Superintendent of Police Raihan Uddin Khan submitted a supplementary charge sheet adding 37 more people.
According to the case statement, they amassed huge amounts of wealth after winning contracts from various government departments in the district through manipulation since 2010. They were allegedly involved in drug smuggling and land grabbing. The two became owners of around 23 buses, several trucks, and private cars.
